


You're The One Thing

by Linisen



Series: Dirty Dancing AU [1]
Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Advent Calendar, Dancer Katsuki Yuuri, Dancer Victor Nikiforov, Demisexual Victor Nikiforov, Dorks in Love, Explicit Sexual Content, Falling In Love, Fluff, Happy Ending, I made it work, Inspired by Dirty Dancing (1987), Light Angst, M/M, Mutual Pining, Pining, Reconciliation, Separations, christmas edition, i think, yep
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-01
Updated: 2020-12-31
Packaged: 2021-03-09 22:34:53
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 26
Words: 74,905
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27813883
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Linisen/pseuds/Linisen
Summary: It's December, and 19 year old university student Victor Nikiforov is about to learn some lessons about life, as well as few new things about dancing.On holiday at the family value's Catskills Ski Resort with his father, fresh out of a divorce, and his brother, always looking for a new love interest, Victor shows little interest in skiing. He instead discovers his own entertainment when he by chance ends up at a staff party, where the sensual dancing is in full swing. Mesmerized by the flow of the movements, so unlike the ballet he's been dancing for years,  Victor can't follow his father's orders not to dance - especially when he's invited to do so by the resort's head dance instructor, Yuuri Katsuki.Victor's dancing is about to change forever, as he's thrown into the deep end when he becomes Yuuri's partner for a high stakes dance competition, from which the prize money supports the dance crew after the winter season is over.The experience may have an even bigger impact on his heart.
Relationships: Katsuki Yuuri/Victor Nikiforov
Series: Dirty Dancing AU [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2162364
Comments: 492
Kudos: 295





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is an Advent/Christmas calendar fic - which means one chapter per day for 25 days! I hope you enjoy!  
> Beta read by the lovely Beta read by the lovely[Sae](https://archiveofourown.org/users/SaerenDPity)<3.

_ I'm dreaming of a white Christmas, Just like the ones I used to know _

_ Where the treetops glisten, And children listen _

_ To hear sleigh bells in the snow, the snow _

Victor sighed heavily as he looked out the car window as the familiar song came through the speakers. It was indeed going to be a very white Christmas, but it would be like none he had spent before. The snow laid thick on the ground outside the window of the car, and Victor watched it swirl around them as they drove deeper into the forest, the road tilting up more and more as they drove up the mountain. The car stereo continued to play the old familiar Christmas song, their Christmas collection CD stuffed into the car radio. It was a collection Victor knew the exact song order of, even to the point of finding it odd when he heard the songs followed by some other track. He couldn’t remember how long it had been something they listened to in his family for Christmas, but it seemed it was one of the few traditions his father Yakov insisted on keeping.

The only one, probably. 

_ I'm dreaming of a white Christmas, With every Christmas card I write _

_ May your days, Be merry and bright _

_ And may all your Christmas' be white _

“How much longer?” Georgi asked beside him, and Victor looked from the view outside the window to his older brother, and then towards the front seat. Yakov had both hands on the steering wheel, and his eyes on the road. It felt odd, that the spot beside him was empty, but Victor guessed it was just how it was now.

“Not much, ten minutes,” Yakov mused, and just then they drove past a sign that said just that. ‘The Catskills - Family Ski-Resort.’ “Maybe fifteen until we’re at the hotel complex.”

“I feel like we’ve been driving forever,” Georgi said, and Victor hummed in agreement, deciding not to push it as Yakov let out an angered grumble. He turned his attention towards the window again, looking up at the snow covered trees, the evergreen branches heavy with white powder. 

_ I'm dreaming of a white Christmas, Just like the ones I used to know _

_ Where the treetops glisten, And children listen _

_ To hear sleigh bells in the snow, oh _

_ I'm dreaming of a white Christmas, With every Christmas card I write _

_ May your days, Be merry and bright _

_ And may all your Christmas' be white _

It was insanely pretty, and even if Victor wasn’t fully sure how he felt about this trip - there was at least that. They got snow in their hometown as well, but never like this. Victor adored it. Maybe he would have to suffer through the four weeks up in the mountains with his heartbroken, newly divorced father and his grumpy brother, but at least it would be pretty. If he was lucky, maybe he would be able to find some time alone on the ski slopes, and he wouldn’t have to deal with this family mess.

Victor let out another sigh. He wasn’t sure about it, and shouldn’t get his hopes up.

Yakov had insisted on this family trip, to this family value ski resort, even though Victor himself was twenty and in his second year of college. Georgi, of course, was even older, twenty two and working on the last stretch of his bachelor degree. Victor was fairly sure he had only been given the opportunity to go on this trip because of their father being a professor at the university, and having pulled strings where he needed to. Victor doubted any other students would have been given the same chance at the end of the semester. 

_ I'm dreaming of a white Christmas _

_ With every Christmas card I write _

_ May your days be merry and bright _

_ And may all your Christmas' be white _

Victor stretched his back, feeling confined from being cramped into a car for almost six hours. He longed to get out and stretch his legs fully. His muscles longed to move - but he knew he wouldn't be allowed to move as he wanted. He bit down on his lower lip, and tried to push the longing for dancing down into the pit of his stomach. He missed dancing so much it hurt. He hadn’t been to the studio for over a month, but at least he could dance in his room at home without anyone noticing. He wasn’t sure how he would survive a month completely without ballet - and maybe even longer if he was to continue to stay with Yakov. It hadn’t been decided yet. Lilia wanted him to come stay with her, and if he did of course he would be able to continue to dance… he just wasn’t sure if he could do that to his father.

A new song started on the stereo, and Victor hummed along, peering with interest as the nature shifted. The dense forest cleared slowly, and gave away from cabins in red, green and brown. It looked cozy. 

_ It's the most wonderful time of the year, With the kids jingle belling _

_ And everyone telling you be of good cheer, It's the most wonderful time of the year _

Would it be a good trip? Was Victor worrying for nothing? It wasn’t as if Yakov was in the best mood, but maybe going away would get better. Victor could do without dancing surely, even if it hurt. Skiing would be fun, and they would be there for an extended period of time. Maybe he would even gain some friends.

_ It's the hap-happiest season of all _

_ With those holiday greetings and gay happy meetings _

_ When friends come to call _

_ It's the hap-happiest season of all _

“Here we are,” Yakov said, and Victor hummed as he tried to get a good look, and then gasped as the forest opened up fully to a large clearing. It felt almost as if it came from nowhere, and Victor peered out his window, trying to take it all in. 

Long white slopes snaked themselves down the mountain, some wide and straight, others caressing their way down the sides. There were tiny black dots moving side to side in them - skiers making their way down the slopes. Sitting ski lifts were moving skiers up the hill, and Victor felt a thrill race up his spine form the sight. Up the sides were cabins, small in red and brown, with roofs white with snow, nestled between the evergreen trees. At the foot of the slopes stood the large hotel complex - a long building with several peaked roofs, them too covered in snow. It looked well kept, with brown-grey walls and red windows, Christmas lights decorating the facade. 

It looked as if taken from a Christmas movie.

“Wow,” Georgi said, and Victor could only agree. Something swelled in his chest - excitement maybe? He wasn’t fully sure. The sun was setting, and it made the whole place seem cozy and sweet, something almost like a Christmas feeling settling in his chest.

“This looks amazing,” Victor agreed, and when he looked up into the rearview mirror he could see Yakov’s lips twitch, almost into a smile. Victor's heart ached. He couldn’t remember the last time he saw that. “I’m sure it’ll be great.” 

“Let’s hope,” Yakov said, his voice less of a grumble this time. Victor smiled towards him, and then looked back out the window again, as Yakov followed the signs for the parking lot. There were several cars parked there already, and Victor could only assume the resort was fairly booked. He didn’t know too much about it, but Yakov had said there would be several of his old acquaintances staying there as well. 

“Ivan said it was the most family-friendly place to visit,” Yakov continued, his voice taking on a stern tone. Victor’s stomach dropped, just slightly, and he twisted in his seat. “It’ll be good for you, to be in a space with other youths that have good morals.”

“Yes, I’m sure we’ll get to know lots of new people,” Georgi said happily, and Victor smiled, even as he felt something uncomfortable turn in his stomach. 

Good morals… as in Yakov’s old colleagues from different universities. As opposed to bad morals, like dancers, like Lilia. As in dancing ballet and giving oneself to art. 

Dancing, that Victor loved. 

“Yeah, I’m sure we will,” Victor agreed, even as it felt hollow. Neither of the other men seemed to notice. The car radio cut out, just as the final notes of the song came through the speakers. 

_ It's the most wonderful time of the year _

__________________________________

Warmth washed over Victor as he stepped inside the hotel lobby, as opposed to the cold that had bitten into his cheeks during the short walk from the car to the hotel. He looked up in awe, feeling his eyes widen. 

The space was beautiful. 

The lobby had exposed dark wood beams in the high ceiling, and the walls were painted in a warm beige, and held dark details and Christmas decorations. The floor was polished marble, with a thick rug in deep red making the space feel cozy and homey. Another Christmas song was playing as they stepped inside, and Victor looked around curiously. The lobby wasn’t too busy, but then again, many would have checked in during the day before. 

To the right lay a corridor that seemed to lead to the hotel restaurant, where they would probably eat most of their breakfast and dinners. Lunches were to be eaten in one of the slope restaurants, Yakov had told them as they drove up. Victor could hear mellow chatter and clinking of china from inside the dining room. Perhaps the staff was preparing for tonight's dinner. It was growing late. 

“You two behave, as I check us in,” Yakov said, and then walked towards the reception without another word, leaving Victor and Georgi in the middle of the lobby. Georgi sat down heavily in a leather armchair just a few steps away, but Vicor still felt cramped from having sat so long during the drive, and looked around instead.

Before them were two gold plated elevators, which Victor guessed took the guests up to their rooms. To the left was an activity area, which Victor read on the sign held the playroom for smaller children, an arcade, a spa, an auditorium and the dance studios. Victor had read on the resort website that they had dance performances at least once a week, and gave dance lessons in pair dances, as well as children's dance. There was a dancing crew that stayed at the resort all through the winter, and they held performances as well as hosted dance classes.

Victor pushed the thought down to the pit of his stomach, even as his entire body filled with the longing to  _ dance _ . 

He couldn’t. 

He really couldn’t. He had promised. 

“Here we go,” Yakov said, and VIctor startled from his musings, giggling nervously as he came face to face with his dad. “They have me in one room and you two in the next one over. There’s a connecting door.”

“Great,” Victor said, and they were soon joined by Georgi. Apparently they weren’t to get their own bags, but their luggage was to be brought up to their room. They took one of the elevators, and on the third floor found their two rooms. It was as Yakov had said, and while their father had a room with a bedroom with a double bed and a sitting room, Victor and Georgi had only a bedroom with two twin beds. 

The rooms were very pretty too. Yakov’s were decorated in light beige and dark brown, much like the reception, while Victor and Georgi’s room were in blue tones. The beds were plush, there was a TV in the sitting room, and the bathrooms were all marble and brass. 

“Yes, this will do,” Yakov said with a pleased expression, and then met the hotel staff as they came with their luggage. 

There wasn’t much time before their dinner reservation, and they were all fairly quiet as they showered and got ready. Victor pulled on a nice sweater, and a pair of slacks, and tied his long hair up in a ponytail. He was growing tired, but he was still looking forward to seeing what the restaurant would be like. 

They made their way down, and well there they were met by a man in a suit, looking to be in the same age as Yakov, as well as a younger woman standing beside him. The man brightened as soon as he spotted them, and Yakov walked straight towards him. 

“Ivan!” he cheered, and the man - Ivan - laughed, as he gripped Yakov’s hand tightly. 

“Yakov,” Ivan greeted back. He was tall, with slicked back, light hair and dark eyes, with a sharp expression. Victor felt himself squirm, but he wasn’t fully sure why. “It is good to see you old friend! Is everything to your liking so far?”

“The room and the staff have been beyond our expectations,” Yakov agreed, and Ivan smiled sharply. 

“That’s what I like to hear,” he said with a nod as he patted Yakov’s shoulder, and then turned towards Georgi and Victor. “And this must be your boys. Fine young men, clearly.”

“Yes, Georgi and Victor,” Yakov answered, motioning towards them respectively. 

“Nice to meet you,” Victor greeted, and Georgi echoed it, both of them taking Ivan’s hand in greeting. 

“You too,” Ivan said with a nod, turning to the young woman beside him. “This is my daughter Anya, she’s a second year at the University down in the valley, studying business.”

“It is very nice to meet you all,” Anya said with a smile, and Victor could almost feel how Georgi’s interest grew by his side, as he jerked his hand forward to take Anya’s, bringing it to his mouth for a kiss. Anya let out a soft giggle, and when Victor looked over at Yakov and Ivan, who both looked incredibly pleased by the interaction. 

“Well, now that we all know each other, let’s get some food for you. I’m sure you’re tired from the trip,” Ivan said, and then motioned towards the restaurant. 

“Georgi, would you escort Anya to the table,” Yakov encouraged, and Georgi almost scrambled to comply. Anya giggled again, as if it was the most charming thing she had ever experienced. Victor rolled his eyes, but only after the others had already started walking into the restaurant so they couldn’t see him. This was going to be a long trip, if his brother fell in love on the first night. 

Christmas music was playing overhead, and as soon as they entered they were guided to their table, the centerpiece of the whole restaurant. It occurred to Victor fairly quickly that Ivan was the owner of the resort, and all the staff treated them all as honored guests because they were in his company.

A tall man with blond curls and a dark buzz cut working as a waiter was introduced to them as Chris, who would be tending to them for most dinners in the coming four weeks. He smiled charmingly, joked with Ivan and Anya, and took their orders like a professional. Victor would guess that he was a few years older than he was, but he couldn't be sure. 

“So, how are you boys at skiing?” Ivan asked as they had gotten the main course. Before then they had gone through all of the ‘childrens’ academic careers, as well as Ivan and Yakov having reminisced a bit of the old days. “Yakov says you have some experience.”

“Yeah we do, it’s been a while since we went skiing through,” Victor said, biting his tongue on bringing up skiing trips from when they were younger. He didn’t want to bring up Lilia and sour the mood. 

“Yes, I am sure we could handle it. At least I can,” Georgi said, and Victor held back a sigh, focusing on his food as Georgi clearly focused on Anya. “How so?”

“Oh, Yakov and I were discussing if Anya could take you on as students,” Ivan said, sipping on his wine. Victor rose his brows and then looked over between Ivan and Anya. “She’s a ski instructor for us. Our guests have been most pleased with her.” 

“Oh really?” Georgi said, leaning further towards her. Anya let out another one of her giggles, and just as she did Chris passed on his way to another table. A grimace passed his expression, and Victor couldn’t help but notice it. Maybe it was nothing, he probably imagined it. He soon pushed it from his mind, and focused back on his company. 

“I would love to teach you, but perhaps you are too skilled,” Anya said, and Georgi of course backtracked, claiming that he most definitely needed lessons. 

“Then it’s settled,” Ivan said, and brought his glass up for a toast. “To good company, and a Merry Christmas.”

___________________

Ivan introduced them to another family staying there once dinner was done, a Leroy family. Yakov knew the father Alan from his youth, and soon the two families were conversing fully, settled into a pair of chairs in a sitting area. Ivan and Anya left after a short while, and Victor, who really couldn't stand one of the Leroy sons, JJ, or any of the pompous children really, excused himself early, claiming to be tired. Yakov seemed too engrossed in conversation with Alan to notice, and Georgi was in deep conversation with JJ about their joint major, so Victor easily slipped from the company, letting out a sigh of relief as he exited the restaurant. 

He considered actually going to the room and settling in early, but then the other corridor caught his attention. The sign of the entrance way said the area to be closed this late in the evening, but there was no one in reception at the moment, and if someone caught him, he could probably simply claim he got lost if he got caught. 

Some exploring might do him good after all. 

With one last look towards the reception, Victor slipped across the lobby and into the dimly lit corridor. It looked much like the one opposite, but it trailed longer than the other to the dining room. First there was a door to a playroom, which was locked, and then there was a door to an arcade, also locked, and then there was a staircase that supposedly led down to the spa. Victor considered following it, but then he heard voices further down the corridor, and because of it continued down further. He passed the dance studios, his heart aching as he did, He couldn’t focus on it now. He pushed on, and then slowed as he came to the double doors, which were only a crack open. Victor peered inside, curiosity getting the better of him.

The room was packed with people, and it didn’t take long until Victor realised it was the staff of the complex. He recognized some of them from the restaurant and the reception, as well as the ones who had carried up their luggage. Anya was there as well, speaking to some others. Perhaps it was staff from all categories. Victor made a quick game of trying to figure out who worked as what, guessing hotel staff, waiters and ski instructors, when suddenly a door to the left opened, and a group of people poured in. 

The fairly mellow tone of the room changed, as the group came tumbling in. They were loud, dressed much more casually than the rest of them, and all eyes immediately turned towards them. There were about ten of them, and they were greeted by some with cheers and warm hugs, while others seemed to almost look down on them. Victor caught a few of the staff rolling their eyes at them, and Victor’s interest piqued. 

Who was this group? 

Victor looked at them closer, and they seemed to be a mix of men and women, of around the age of twenty to twenty-five perhaps. It almost looked like they were in training clothes. 

Realisation dawned on Victor slowly, almost to the point that it made him embarrassed. He could see it then in their postures, in their clothes and the way they were acting. 

These were the dancers. 

Victor’s heart clenched again, and he was just about to push away from the door because of it, when his eyes caught sight of one of them more closely, a man that seemed to stand out. His hair was black, and fell softly over his forehead, almost ruly. On his nose rested a pair of blue framed glasses, and behind them was dark brown eyes. His cheeks were soft, a sharp contrast to his sharp cheekbones and jaw. He was gorgeous, in every sense of the word. Victor didn’t think he had ever seen someone he had instantly found so beautiful. He carried himself like a dancer, his entire aura screamed dancer, and something in Victor tugged at the imaginary of dancing with him. There was something about him that was soft and strong all at the same time, and Victor wasn’t fully sure what it was about him - but something was special. 

“Alright!” came a call form further inside, and Victor’s focus moved from the young man to the front. Ivan was standing there, and everyone's attention turned towards the complex owner, as a hush fell over the room. 

“I have called you all in here since we now have all our guests staying for the longer duration of Christmas checked in. Those of you who have worked with them this weekend, good job in making our guests feel comfortable. This is not a sprint but a marathon, and I expect you all to continue in that same spirit. This is a long period, and it is important to show perseverance. I have hired you all because I believe that you all have the abilities to meet the standards set. Do not disappoint me,” Ivan said firmly, and Vicor saw a few squirm. “This is a family hotel - we're here to sell an experience. You are to be charming to the entire family, each and every one of them, but you are not to flirt with any part of the married pair. We are not here to cause scandal.”

A few giggles traveled through the room, but were soon quieted as Ivan cleared his throat again. 

“With that said - pay more attention to the children - of all ages. Play with the young ones, make sure they have a good time. With the older, make sure you charm them. Make sure they leave here satisfied with their stay. Take them out, show them a good time,” Ivan continued, and then he turned towards the group of dancers, who all seemed to know what was to come. The smiling faces there were sporting as they came in were gone, and they all stood tall as they faced him, even if they said nothing. 

“This does not extend to the performing staff. As I said, I do not want scandal. The sons and daughters of our guests want to be charmed by university students, of those who strive for greatness in this life, not the likes of theater folk.”

Victor saw the man who had caught his attention look down at the floor, even as his stance kept straight, his arms crossed over his chest. Anger surged in Victor’s chest. How dare Ivan speak in such a way to them? Had he no concept of what it took to be a performer? Victor vividly remembered each and every speech Lilia had given him about succumbing to the art, of being born again through the performance. He remembered all the blood, sweat and tears he had put into training. 

Ivan clearly didn’t have a concept of what it took - to give it all to dance.

Or he didn’t care.

A part of Victor wanted to speak up, wanted to push into the room and lay all his feelings bare in defence of the dancers. However, that would reveal that he had been listening in, and he didn’t want to get in trouble, especially on the first day. Instead he pushed away from the door as Ivan continued his speech, and headed up to his room. Luckily, neither Yakov nor Georgi seemed to have come back yet once he got there. 

Victor got ready quickly, but couldn’t seem to shake the image of the dancer as he moved through his evening routine. The dancer was still on his mind as Victor crawled under the covers and cuddled down, and Victor could not say why, or what it was about the man that had caught his attention. 

It was silly. 

He would probably never see him again anyway.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so incredibly happy you all enjoyed this story's first part! I'm really so excited to share this. Thank you all for al the love <3.

Victor’s legs ached from having been on the slopes all day. He considered himself fairly fit, with how much he danced, but clearly skiing activated a whole other set of muscles. He was laying in bed, staring up at the ceiling, wondering if he would have the energy to make it down to dinner at all. 

“I’m exhausted,” Victor said, and on the bed beside him, Georgi chuckled. 

“I am too,” he agreed, and Victor looked over at him, and laughed as he saw him lying like a starfish in bed, feet and arms hanging half off it. “I forgot how hard it is… It looks so relaxing when watching it.”

“It was very pretty though, I liked the slopes,” Victor said, and Georgi hummed in agreement, before they fell quiet. It was often like this. They had trouble finding common ground of what to talk about. Victor had always been engrossed in his dancing, and Georgi in his studies, and even if Victor studied too - it wasn’t their father's subject - so it wasn’t as important. 

At least it often felt that way. 

“Are you boys ready for dinner?” Yakov called from his side of the open door between the hotel rooms. Georgi groaned, and Victor laughed, even as he pushed up to sit up on the bed. Yakov appeared in the door, and Victor didn’t even try to straighten his posture as he let shoulders hang while he carded his fingers through his long damp hair. Victor saw Yakov eye his hair with a frown, and Victor looked away. He knew his father had never been particularly fond of his long hair, but Victor loved it.

“Are we dining with Ivan and Anya tonight as well?” Georgi asked, and Victor looked over at his brother without being able to contain his smirk. He looked back to his father, and saw Yakov looking amused as well. 

“Yes we are, as well as the Leroys,” Yakov said, and Victor bit back a groan. “Later, there is an opening event, since most of the guests have now arrived.”

“What kind of event?” Victor asked, and Yakov averted his eyes, and fiddled with his cufflinks. 

“I am not sure,” he muttered, and then looked back at them. “Now, let's go down, we don’t want to be late.”

__________________

Victor wasn’t sure what to do about himself. He was very sure, however, why his father hadn’t wanted to speak about the opening event. His motives to keep the details from Victor perfectly clear now. 

It was an opening ball. 

They had been asked to dress up in suits before this evening, and Victor was sure his father knew that this was going to be a dance, with how he had acted before dinner as well as how close he was to Ivan. He had just been avoiding bringing it up - because at a ball, there was of course dancing. 

Couples were swirling around the dance floor in waltz after waltz, set to Christmas music. Georgi was on the dance floor as well, Anya in his arms. Victor pushed himself firmer against the wall, and bit down on his lower lip to refrain from pouting. He longed to be on the dance floor as well, but he really didn’t dare to. Yakov was sitting with Ivan and Alan, and some other men Victor didn’t know, just a little bit to the side from where he was standing, and it would not go unnoticed if he stepped up on the floor and joined in.

It wasn’t fair. This was not ballet, and surely it wouldn’t be that bad for him to only dance a waltz or two? He was an adult man. His father really couldn’t dictate what he did or didn’t. So why didn’t Victor just throw caution to the wind and dance?

He squirmed in his suit and looked away from the dancers. It didn’t matter. There was no one there he particularly wanted to dance with, so perhaps pining to dance was unnecessary. One of the Leroy sons had asked him, but Victor had politely turned him down. The rejection had very little with how Victor was pretty sure Yakov would be sour for a week if he did dance. He just really couldn't stand them.

There wasn’t anything wrong with the Leroy family per se. They hadn’t been rude to Victor or anything like that, but just like he currently felt with his father and brother, he just couldn’t find much to talk about aside from the pleasantries. There was nothing genuine there, and Victor would rather stay rested against the wall than to force himself in trying to be pleasant to someone he didn’t like. 

Lilia and Yakov had always agreed that it was one of his lacking qualities, being unable to be charming to someone he didn’t want to talk to. 

Still, seeing others dance made his heart ache even more, and he wondered if his father would be more disappointed if he left early for bed, or if he stayed rested against the wall and didn’t talk to anyone. God, he felt like a teenager again. 

Victor’s eyes drifted to the dance floor once more, and couldn’t help but smile as he watched a pair of the dance group move around the floor. Their steps were light, and it looked almost like they were floating across it. It was beautiful, and Victor got lost in watching them, his eyes drifting from pair to pair, seeing them move gracefully and poised. They were all in suits and fine dresses, and broke apart every now and then to invite guests onto the dance floor. They went through the waltz basics with them, and Victor was amazed by the grace and charm they held while doing so. 

Victor could easily see why they had been hired to teach as well as perform.

They all seemed like a kind group, who looked out for each other. Like they were really good friends. Victor wondered what their situation was. Did they simply come here for the winter together, and split up during the summer? Or did they go somewhere else during the warmer months? Victor had never heard of dancers doing something like this before. He was only familiar with the large ballet companies, and knew only a little about the ballroom competitions, but this seemed to be none of that. 

Odd. 

A gasp ran through the room, and Victor turned from the dance floor to see a couple enter it from the side. Victor's stomach swooped as he caught sight of them, and he couldn't help but straighten, as they entered the dance floor. 

Her hair was long and black, and pinned up in a half up half down hairdo. She wore a long dark purple dress, matching her violet eyes, that swirled around her as she was spun onto the dance floor. She smiled, and it was radiant and beautiful, but it was not her that Victor’s eyes truly focused on.

The man holding her in his arms was the one from the night before, the one with the dark hair and eyes. His glasses were missing now, and his black hair had been pushed from his face in a slicked back style, sharpening his features. It gave Victor an undisturbed view of his eyes, wide and lined with long lashes. He was in a tuxedo, and he looked absolutely magnificent in it, the outfit hugging his frame. His posture was perfect, and he guided his partner perfectly around the dance floor in the final steps of the waltz. 

The music slowed, and when it started up again, it wasn’t a waltz at all. Victor recognized the mambo notes, and then his breath caught as the dance pair that had just stepped up on the floor started to move. 

They demanded attention from their movements alone, and the floor half cleared for them, giving them room to dance more freely. The man moved his partner around the floor, and she was a perfect extension of him, moving gracefully in and out of every transition and spin. The man was equally graceful, and Victor longed to be on the dance floor and in his arms, to know what it felt like to be led like that.

The dance was filled with spectacular spins and shallow lifts, and each and every one got a good round of applause from the crowd. Victor clapped too, his heart racing as he was pulled into the performance. They were beautiful together, and Victor wondered if they were a couple. 

The dance came to a close, and the pair smiled, turning in every direction to thank their applauding audience. They looked happy, almost proud, and they should. Victor thought they had done a masterful performance. Another song started, and Ivan was by the pair’s side in an instant, whispering something in their ears. Victor saw the smile falter from the pair’s faces, only to be exchanged with smiles that looked much more stiff. 

Ivan broke away, and then invited one of the guests standing to the side onto the floor for a dance. Victor saw the male dancer do the same, inviting one of the younger girls up on the floor. He started going through the base steps to her, and Victor’s heart swelled slightly.

It was really cute.

“Want to dance?” someone asked, and Victor snapped his head forward, only to find the girl who had just taken the dance floor by storm before him. She smiled, her purple eyes sparkling. “I’m Sara. I’m one of the dancers here. I could teach you a few steps if you want.”

“I-” 

Victor’s answer caught in his throat. He didn’t know what to say. He wanted to so badly, but he didn’t want to hurt his father’s feelings. Still, he longed to know more about the dancers, and the man this girl had just danced with… and above all he really wanted to dance. 

“It’s okay to be nervous,” she said sweetly. “You don’t have to have any dance experience. It can just be for fun!”

She reached her hand out, and Victor could feel himself raise his own almost on instinct, when a sharp voice came from the side, startling them both.

“Vitya!” 

Victor snapped his head to the side, and caught his father’s gaze. He swallowed, and felt his hand drop down as his heart hammered in his chest. He turned back to Sara, and then frowned as he tried to find his words again. This was so pathetic.

“Sorry I-” he said with a shake of head, and for a moment Sara frowned too, before she smiled again, taking a step back.

“Oh, okay, let me know if you change your mind,” she said cheerily, and then she was gone, moving into the crowd to find another partner. 

“Vitya,” Yakov called again, and Victor tore his eyes from where Sara had disappeared to, only to focus on his father again. Yakov motioned for him to come, and Victor pushed off the wall, even if it was reluctantly. “Come sit here, I think Alan has a story you would enjoy hearing.”

“Yes, of course,” Victor agreed, and sat down on the chair Ivan had vacated. Alan Leroy launched into his story, and Victor did his best to pay attention, even as his attention was pulled towards the dance floor. He saw that Georgi was in the arms of a redhead from the dance group now, practicing his waltz steps with deep concentration as she cheered him on. 

Victor craned his neck, and spotted Anya soon enough, who to Victor’s surprise, was now dancing with Sara. Anya was being led across the dance floor, and she looked at Sara in a way Victor had not seen from her since meeting her yesterday. There was something different about the way she smiled and laughed, but Victor couldn’t put his finger on what. Sara laughed warmly, and Anya leaned forward to whisper something into her ear. Sara’s cheeks flushed, and then she nodded, whispering something back to Anya, who smirked.

Victor hummed along with Alan's story, and had to look away from Anya and Sara to show he was paying attention. He couldn’t stop his gaze from drifting to the dance floor every now and then, however, no matter how he tried. Alan was in the final build up of his story, or at least Victor really, really hoped he was, when he looked up, and caught eyes with the male dancer he had been admiring earlier. 

It was just for a moment, but Victor was sure that their eyes had met, before the dancer turned as he continued to lead his partner, a middle aged woman, across the floor. Victor’s stomach swooped, and he felt his cheeks heat as he looked away. Nerves filled his stomach, and he didn’t know why. 

He glanced back towards the dance floor, but the dancer was long gone, hidden from view by the other pairs on the floor. It was just as well. Maybe Victor would be able to focus on the stories from the older men now, even with the dancing going on. 

He looked at Alan, and smiled, and fought hard against the impulse of turning back to the dance floor another time.


	3. Chapter 3

On the third day of their stay in the Catskills, Victor wasn’t really sure what to think. He spent most of the day on the slopes with Anya and Georgi, who were mostly ignoring him except the occasional ‘let’s go to slope 178’. Victor didn’t mind, even if he did find it curious. Anya clearly flirted with Georgi, and Victor could tell his brother was falling more and more in love with her for each passing second. Georgi hadn’t had a girlfriend in a while, and it was becoming clear he had his eye set on Anya. He was a romantic, just like their father, so really there were no surprises there. 

The thing Victor couldn’t stop thinking about was the way Anya had looked the night before, with Sara. There had been something more animated about her then, instead of the almost arranged charm she displayed now. Victor wasn’t sure. He didn’t really know Anya well enough to judge her expressions or way of acting. It had felt like he had watched flirting between her and Sara yesterday however, and Victor wasn’t fully sure how to go about it. 

Should he tell his brother? He didn’t want him to get hurt after all… but then again telling him when there was nothing there more than Victor’s speculations might cause more drama than there in reality was ground for. Victor really didn’t want to share a room with his heartbroken brother for the duration of the trip after all, whichever way it was. 

Victor decided to let it go for now. They were only on their first week there, and surely things would emerge with time. It wasn’t as if Victor was going anywhere. He pushed it from his mind, and when they had all eaten dinner, once again with Ivan and Anya as well as the Leroys, he excused himself. Yakov asked where he was going, but Victor quickly just said he planned on checking out the arcade. It had been an excuse, but once he had said it he couldn’t help but walk over there and check it out. 

Now that all the guests were in place the facilities were open longer in the evening, and the arcade was filled with teens indulging in the games. Victor smiled as some of them were shouting and cheering each other on, and looked away from the dance mat, but decided fairly early on that there was nothing for him there. He passed the spa, which was closed, and then came to a stop outside one of the dance studios. He could hear music coming from inside it, and he felt his chest clench from it. 

There was something magical about dance studios, the way one could transform on the polished hardwood floor. There, one could tell a story - any story - through motion alone.

He missed it so much.

Victor turned from it in haste, and hurried out as he felt tears start to burn in his eyes. He knew he should probably have gone up to his room, but he felt like it was hard to breathe, so instead he pushed out the front door. The cold air of the winter night hit his cheeks, and Victor sucked it into his lungs, shivers breaking out across his skin. He took another breath, and willed his tears to stop burning in his eyes.

This was so silly. 

It was just dance. 

It was just dance and Victor could learn to live without it. 

He had before Yakov had married Lilia, and he could again… right?

“Victor?”

Victor jerked to the side, and dropped his hands from where he had placed them over his head. He blinked in surprise, as he came face to face with their waiter, Chris. 

“Oh, hi,” Victor said, wrapping his arms around himself. Now that he had been broken out of his bubble of emotional turmoil, it became evident how cold it really was.

“You okay?” Chris asked, stepping a little closer. Victor nodded and averted his eyes, feeling embarrassment flood his system. It was so silly, having tantrums in the cold, when he was a grown man. 

“Yeah, I just needed some air,” Victor said, turning back to Chris with a smile that was mostly for show. 

“Yeah, it can get a bit stiff in there,” Chris said in agreement, and Victor felt his brows rise from the honesty. “It’s not for everyone.”

“Yeah,” Victor agreed, and Chris chuckled. “What?”

“Sorry, this might be too forward and all, with you being the owner's guest, but…” Chris trailed off for a moment, and Victor rubbed his hands over his arms, feeling the cold seep in. Chris looked to the side, and then turned back to Victor. “You never seem to have a good time with them.”

“Oh, yeah I guess,” Victor agreed with a shrug. He didn’t really know Chris, even if he had been waiting on them for three days now. Apparently the waiter was more observant than Victor would have given him credit for. He remembered that look that had crossed Chris' expression on that first night, when he passed Anya by. Maybe it was Victor who just wasn’t paying attention. “I don’t know. I’m not like them, in many ways.” 

“It is obvious, for one who looks,” Chris said with a smirk. “So, what do you like to do then, instead of discussing old university faculties and upholding the morals of the deprived youth?”

Victor licked his lips as he let out a huff of laughter, and wondered for a moment what would happen if he said it out loud. Yakov wasn’t there, and really in this moment, Victor didn’t care.

“I love to dance.”

Chris brows rose, and then a smile curled on his lips. 

“Really?” he asked, and then leaned forward. “I have something to show you then.”

“Show me?” Victor asked, feeling excitement rise in chest for the first time in a long time. “What?” he asked, and Chris grinned even wider. 

“You’ll have to come with me to find out,” Chris said, and Victor found himself nodding, taking a step towards the man. “Great, we need to stop by the staff entrance first.”

“For what?” Victor asked, and followed Chris as they moved back to the hotel complex. 

It turned out Chris needed help carrying a Christmas tree. It had been ruled out by the staff in the hotel for being too ugly, and was to be thrown out. Chris told a great tale of how he had rescued the poor tree from being thrown into the shredder, and that he intended to bring it up to a place the staff used. Victor laughed at his antics, making Chris spur the story on even more.

It was a long, and gangly tree, thin and with branches unevenly displayed. It wasn’t the easiest thing to carry it, and Victor kept stinging himself on the fir needles. Still, it was fun. Victor laughed as they did their best to carry it up a hill, and then turning towards a cabin, from where music was drifting through the cracks of the windows. 

“What’s this?” Victor asked as they put the tree down outside the door, and Chris wiggled his eyebrows, and opened the door. The volume of the music increased, and Victor peered inside.

“Come on,” Chris said, and then stepped through the door. Victor followed, his heart beating a little faster as he did. They entered a small hallway, but Chris didn’t stop, moving to the door opening leading into the next room. Victor followed, and then felt his eyes grow wide and his stomach drop at the sight before him.

The room was filled with pairs dancing, but it was unlike any dance he had seen before. The couples were tucked close together, pelvises grinding together to the rhythm of the music. There were people of all genders were dancing with each other, moving seductively to the music. There was a push and pull in the dancing, and some arched back low only to come up again, others were kissing deeply, as they continued to grind together, others spun and dipped each other in turn. 

“Woah,” Victor breathed, and beside him, Chris laughed. 

“Kind of different from what you saw at the ball yesterday, huh?” Chris said, and Victor would look to him as he nodded, but he couldn’t tear his eyes away. Of his eleven years of dancing, he had never seen anyone dance like this. 

The strict dress code from the hotel seemed as if forgotten, the dancers wearing crop tops, bras or skirts with high slits, open shirts and shorts. A few looked like they had just ended their shift before coming here, having just tugged off the essentials to head onto the dance floor. Victor spotted several suit jackets thrown over furniture that had been pushed to the side, where some people were sitting talking and laughing. On one couch a couple was making out, a girl straddling another girl’s thighs. 

There seemed to be staff of all kinds here. Victor recognised many of them from the lunch restaurants up in the slopes, the lift guards, waiters, as well as the dancers that had helped out during the ball yesterday. 

“Come on,” Chirs said, stirring him from his staring. “Let’s get you a drink.” 

Victor followed Chris through the crowd of people, and tried his best not to bump into any of the couples grinding together. His heart raced, and he wasn’t sure if he was uncomfortable or in awe by their movements. People broke away from their dance partners to Chris, to kiss his cheek and greet him, but their eyes grew wide as they spotted Victor behind him, giving him a quizzical look. 

“Here,” Chris offered a cup of something red and bubbly once they reached a table on the other side of the room, stocked with drinks. He then turned out towards the dance floor again. Victor did too, and took a sip of what was clearly some kind of alcoholic drink. “So, was this the kind of dancing you were talking about?”

“No,” Victor laughed, and Chris laughed too, taking a big swing off his own drink. “I’ve never seen dancing like this.” 

“What kind of dancing have you done then?” Chris asked, but just as Victor was about to answer, a man with tan skin and black hair all but attacked Chris, throwing himself around his shoulders, his legs wrapping around his waist. Victor gasped in shock, but Chris seemed used to it, catching the man easily. 

“Baby!” the man in Chris’ arms cheered, and then dipped down to kiss him, open mouthed and wet. Victor averted his eyes, feeling his cheeks burn as he took another sip of his drink. 

The song had changed, but the couples on the floor continued to dance, even if some headed to the couches while others stepped on the dance floor. There was a relaxed atmosphere in the room, which contradicted highly with how Victor felt. 

“Victor,” Chris called to his side, and Victor looked, seeing the other man still wrapped around Chris tightly. “This is my boyfriend Phichit.”

“Hi!” Phichit said cheerily, extending his hand for Victor to shake. Victor did so, trying to ignore the fact that Chris’ hands were on Phichit’s ass. “Nice to meet you.”   
“Phichit is one of the dancers,” Chris said proudly, and Phichit looked back at him with such fondness Victor couldn't help but smile. They were really cute together. “He’s magnificent.”

“Nice to meet you too,” Victor said, and the pair turned back to him as Victor gazed out over the dancers on the dance floor. They were still grinding together, the music low and rhythmic. There were fairy lights strung up in the ceiling, but other than that the space was mostly dark. It was hard to see very far, and Victor could barely spot the door they had come in through. 

“Where do you work?” Phichit asked, and Victor turned back to him, biting into his lip hard. He wasn’t sure what to say, and Phichit seemed to notice, frowning as he looked from Victor to Chris. Chris was looking sheepish, and Victor saw Phichit grow increasingly suspicious. 

“Babe,” he said slowly, and Chris chuckled low in his chest. 

“He’s Mr. Goncharov’s guest,” Chris said, and Phichit gasped at hearing Ivan’s last name. Victor was probably not allowed to be here at all, considering what he had overheard from Ivan’s speech the other day. He wasn’t even sure the staff was allowed to behave like this even with guests absent. 

“Chris!” Phichit said, and then looked to Victor with wide eyes. Victor stuttered, not sure what to say. 

“It’s fine,” Chris said, and Phichit frowned as he looked back at his boyfriend, his expression softening slightly as they locked eyes. “Victor won’t tell on me for bringing him here, I’m sure.” 

“I won't, I swear,” Victor said, and Phichit looked back at him with a quizzical look. “I was having the worst time in there, and Chris just saved me.”

“Yeah, he’s good at that,” Phichit said, turning back to Chris, only to kiss him deeply. Victor looked away again, feeling slightly out of place. The dancing before him was so sensual, and so full of feeling. He was used to dance being all order and rules, even the ballroom dancing from yesterday had them. Here however, it seemed to only be fueled by emotions and rhythm.

“So, Victor, have you been invited to the dance floor?” Phichit asked and Victor turned back to them again, feeling his stomach flip form the prospect of dancing like that. 

“Victor is apparently a dancer,” Chris said, looking back at Victor. “We never got a chance to finish that conversion.”

“Oh I’m nothing special,” Victor assured them, shaking his head. “I’ve never danced anything like this.” 

“Maybe you should try it,” Chris said, and Victor shook his head, feeling increasingly irritated by how much his cheeks heated. Chris laughed, and Phichit smiled widely, before turning back to Chris. 

“Are we dancing?” Phichit asked, and Chris cupped his cheek and nodded. Phichit pressed a kiss to his thumb, and it seemed the pair was just about to leave Victor for the dance floor when cheers rang out through the room. 

“Yuuri!” someone shouted, and Phichit gasped and broke away from Chris. 

“I’ll just go say hi!” Phichit called and then he was off in a second. Chris laughed after him, shaking his head as Phichit disappeared through the crowd. 

“Who’s Yuuri?” Victor asked, and Chris looked fondly after where Phichit had disappeared for a moment longer before turning back to Victor.

“Oh, he’s Phichit’s best friend. He’s a dancer too, he had a dance lesson late this evening over in the complex,” Chris explained, and Victor hummed. That must have been the music Victor heard from the dance studio then. Cheers were heard through the room, but soon quieted as the staff members went back to dancing. It didn’t take long, and the floor seemed to clear, and Victor saw him. 

It was the dark haired dancer he had continued to notice, the man who seemed to steal Victor’s attention every time he walked into a room. Victor breath caught, and then he couldn’t pull his eyes away, as the man pulled his dance partner closer, and moved. 

It was someone other than Sara this time, the one in his arms a man with blond hair. They moved together to the music, sensual and slow. There was a push and pull there that made Victor’s stomach swoop in a way he wasn't at all used to. What was it about this man that held Victor’s attention so?

“Is that Yuuri?” Victor asked, and Chris hummed beside him. Yuuri was in a white shirt, like the night before, but like many others he had discarded his jacket somewhere, his shirt open half way down his chest. His hair was slicked back, but it was coming undone as he moved. 

“Yeah, that’s Yuuri. Phichit’s best friend, and probably one of the best dancers here. He’s actually of competing rank,” Chris said with a smile. 

“Who’s that he’s dancing with?” Victor asked, unable to stop himself. “Where’s Sara?”

“Sara?” Chris asked with a frown, and then realisation seemed to dawn on him. “Oh! They’re not a couple.”

“They’re not?” Victor asked, and looked back to Yuuri moving on the floor with the man. They looked good too, even if they weren’t pressed as close as many of the other dancers. Maybe Yuuri just made everyone look good. 

“No, Sara has a secret lover,” Chris said, putting his finger up to his lips and making a  _ shhh _ sound. “Yuuri and Sara have never been a thing.”

“So, is that his boyfriend then?” Victor asked, feeling incredibly nosy, but so curious he couldn’t hold back. Chris didn’t seem to mind however.

“No, Yuuri… I don’t think I’ve seen him with anyone like that. He just enjoys to dance,” Chris said with a smile. “I think he prefers men though, but I haven’t asked.”

“O-okay,” Victor said, and then turned back to the dance floor, only to see Yuuri having broken away from his partner, and heading towards them. Victor’s heart started beating rapidly, and he licked his lips, trying to figure out where to look. 

“Hi,” Yuuri said as he came close enough for them to hear, and Victor mumbled out a greeting, his eyes flickering over Yuuri’s face. Chris answered more chipperly, and Victor looked over to him, seeing his grin proudly. Yuuri turned towards Chris, one eyebrow raised as he reached for a bottle of water by Victor's side. “I thought this was a staff party.” 

“I needed help,” Chris said matter of factly, seeming very undisturbed by Victor's presence, unlike both Phichit and Yuuri. “Victor here helped out.”

“Yeah, I carried a Christmas tree,” Victor agreed, and then bit down hard on the inside of his cheek because what an idiot thing to say.  _ I carried a Christmas tree. _

“Did you now,” Yuuri said, and there was amusement in his voice, which Victor wasn’t sure was because he was laughing at him or with him. Maybe he’d rather not know. “You’re the one who didn’t dance last night.”

“What?” Victor asked, and Yuuri took a big gulp of water from his bottle, before his dark eyes fixed on Victor again. Yuuri was insanely gorgeous. Victor was pretty sure he had never seen anyone so pretty in his life. Sweat drops were clinging to his skin, and there was a pretty flush on his cheeks. His lips were pink and looked plush, and the open expanse of skin down his chest was teasing Victor to let his eyes drop.

He didn’t. 

“Last night, you stood by the wall, and then sat down, but you kept eyeing the dance floor,” Yuuri stated, and Victor hadn’t even noticed him looking more than that one time they locked eyes. “Why didn’t you dance?”

“I-” Victor said, but stopped himself, because he didn’t really want to reveal his entire family story now. He doubted Yuuri wanted to hear it anyway. He didn’t look away from Yuuri though, and the dancer tilted his head to the side, and then put the bottle back on the table. He held his hand out to Victor, and Victor’s heart stopped in his chest. 

“How about now, would you dance with me?” he asked. 

Victor felt his heart lurch into motion again and then slowly he took Yuuri’s hand. 


	4. Chapter 4

Victor had been led up on dance floors before, his posture straight as he glided up on stage or onto the studio floor during one of the dance classes in Lilia’s studio. It had been full of poise and control, and he had known what had been expected of him as he did so. He knew all the steps, the choreography and the grips. Even if it was a choreography new to him, it was known. 

This situation was in no way familiar.

Yuuri’s hand was warm in his, but the way he held it was unlike any other time Victor had been led up on a dance floor. This was not a performance, not something he was in any way prepared for. Victor turned back, and saw Chris’ surprised expression, which soon followed by something very pleased. Victor had no idea what to make of it. 

He looked back forward instead, and instinctively squeezed Yuuri’s hand. Yuuri’s fingers were laced with his, and they moved through the dancing couples, zig-zagging through them. Victor followed after Yuuri, doing his best to not bump into anyone. The music was loud, vibrating through his body. They came to a stop somewhere slightly off-center, and Yuuri turned towards him, and Victor’s breath caught in his throat. 

Was this really happening?

Yuuri’s dark eyes focused on him, and Victor suddenly felt slightly weak in the knees. Yuuri stepped closer, and placed a hand on his shoulder as he leaned forward to whisper in Victor’s ear.

“Bend your knees,” Yuuri said, and Victor let out a breath, and let the weight of Yuuri’s hand on his shoulder guide him down. It felt odd. Victor felt extremely awkward. “Good, now watch.”

A shiver raced down Victor’s spine, and he let his eyes drop to Yuuri’s pelvis. Yuuri moved it in a circular motion, and a sensation far more familiar than Victor hadn’t expected filled him. Victor was a dancer. He could take instruction. He knew how to move his body.

He watched for a moment, and then he started moving too, mimicking Yuuri. It felt odd, and very awkward, as he tried to move his hips round to the right over and over. He looked into Yuuri’s eyes, to try to get some sense if he was totally embarrassing himself or not. Yuuri wasn’t looking at his face, but at his movements, and he nodded slowly, before looking back up to catch Victor's eyes. 

“Other way,” he instructed, and then started rolling his hips to the left. Victor switched too, and even if the first few turns were even stiffer, it slowly got better. He had always been stiffer in movement to the left, even if he had worked for a long time to remedy that, it came through now. Victor wanted to curse. He was supposed to be good at making his body bend to his will. He should be able to do this. 

“Good,” Yuuri said, and when Victor looked up he was watching Victor move again, nodding along. “Now, every other way.”

Now, that was something Victor knew. Yuuri started moving his hips to the right, and then to the left, and Victor followed. He was sure he didn’t look as fluid as Yuuri, in fact he could very much feel that he was not moving as he should, but at least he was keeping up motion wise. A smile tugged at Yuuri’s lips, and Victor felt an odd sense of pride swell in his chest from the sight. 

“Good, good,” Yuuri said, and then he moved closer, one of his legs coming to slot between Victor’s. Victor’s breath caught, and he gasped as Yuuri took one of his arms and slung it around his shoulders. Victor felt himself freeze, his body becoming rigid under the touch. It wasn’t that it felt bad really, it was just not something he was used to. Yuuri’s arm circled Victor’s waist, and he pressed even closer, his breath ghosting over Victor’s neck. “Is this okay?”

“Yeah,” Victor agreed, and Yuuri pulled back to catch his eye and nodded, and then pushed their bodies flushed together. He started moving his hips, and Victor brought his other arm up just to hold on. It felt like a storm brewing, and all he could do was cling to Yuuri like a lifeline, and hope for the best. 

“Follow me,” Yuuri said, his voice a little raspy. Victor nodded, and let his hips move with Yuuri’s grinding, left, right, left, right. It was easier like this, to follow with Yuuri’s movements. Still, it was odd. He was so used to dancing within a box of rules, and he didn’t know them here. Were there rules? It didn’t feel like it. “Relax,” Yuuri instructed, and Victor let out a slow breath, and tried to let himself go. 

The music vibrated through him, and he did his best in letting himself rely on Yuuri, letting the other man’s movements guide him. Yuuri’s hands wandered up on his back, splaying wide as he continued to grind their hips together. Victor let his hands rise above his head from Yuuri’s shoulders, and Yuuri twisted him, back and forth. It felt so freeing, and Victor arched himself back as Yuuri moved him. His heart raced, and even more so when Yuuri tossed him back towards his body. He felt Yuuri let out a gasp too, and then he pushed them lower again. Victor did his best to keep up, as his thoughts were swirling a thousand miles an hour. 

Dancing had never felt like this. 

The song slowed, and Yuuri pushed him down into a dip again, before twirling him around. He stopped before pulling Victor back to him again, and by now Victor was panting, his cheeks aflame and his mind a jumble. 

“Thank you for the dance,” Yuuri said, and then his hand slipped from Victor’s, before he turned and disappeared through the crowd, before Victor had a chance to say another word. 

Victor was left standing there, his heart racing as he watched Yuuri leave. 

Why did he want to follow him?

A new song started, and the crowd around him started to move again, but Victor felt as if he were frozen in place where Yuuri had left him. Something was stirring in his chest, wild and unknown, and Victor wasn’t sure what it was. It continued to fill his entire being, and he knew then and there, that he would never be able to stop dancing, no matter how much his father wanted him to. 

“Victor!” Chris called to his side, and Victor snapped his face to the side, seeing the other man come towards him. Phichit was hanging from his side, and Victor pushed a smile onto his face, trying to quell the storm brewing in his gut. “Did you have fun dancing?”

“Yeah,” he answered, and Phichit and Chris both grinned, almost wickedly. “It was really fun. Yuuri’s….” Victor trailed off, having a hard time finding words to explain what he was feeling. He looked to the side where Yuuri had disappeared too, and then he felt himself flush. 

“I’m glad you had a good time,” Chris said, and then threw his arm around Victor’s shoulders. “Let us introduce you to some more people.” 

  
  


They moved around the room and said hi to more people than Victor really could keep track of. He did his best however, but when they had made their way around the room twice Victor excused himself, claiming to need sleep. His mind was too full, and his body felt heavy from a full day of skiing and then dancing. Chris hugged him before he left, and Phichit did as well, smiling happily when he pulled back.

“I like you! Please come back to hang with us again, okay?” he said, and Victor smiled and nodded, even if he wasn’t fully sure if he would come back. He couldn't remember feeling this awkward in a long time, but he couldn’t remember having this much fun in a long time either. Still, did he really have a place there? He wasn’t sure.

He pushed out into the cold night and walked the short distance to the hotel complex. It was quiet now, the lights of the lobby dimmed as he entered. He could hear a few voices from the hotel restaurant, and assumed it was a few stragglers keeping things going by the bar. Hopefully Yakov was among them, or already asleep. Victor made his way to the elevator, and then leaned back heavily against the wall of it as it took him up. His mind was a rush of thoughts and emotions, and it felt almost impossible to try to sort through it all. The most prominent was the way it had felt when Yuuri held him though, how freeing it had been to let go and move to the rhythm. Victor swayed in the elevator, and then shook his head at his own silliness. 

This was surely a one time thing and wouldn’t be anything more than a distant memory once they left. 

At least he could try to tell himself that.

The elevator arrived at his floor, and Victor walked over to their room, making sure to open the one where Georgi and he were sleeping, in hopes of avoiding Yakov. 

It was in vain, however.

“Vitya,” Yakov’s voice came through the open door between the rooms once Victor was halfway to the bathroom, and Victor cursed to himself. He spotted his brother already in bed, but as he peered through the door opening to the other room, he saw his father sitting in an armchair by the TV. 

“Yes, hi,” he said, and tried to look innocent. “How was the rest of the dinner?”

A smile tugged at Yakov’s lips, and Victor smiled too from the sight. It was nice to see his father regain some of his happiness. It had only been a few days after all, and he was already becoming more of himself again. 

“It was good, it’s been nice to reconnect,” he said, and Victor nodded in understanding. “Old friends can truly be good for the soul.”

“And when you’re as old as you are,” Victor teased, and Yakov threw him a stern look, even though his eyes smiled the next second. Victor laughed, beside himself, and Yakov shook his head. 

“You’re hopeless,” Yakov mumbled, but it was fond. Good, Victor wanted him to feel better.

“Yeah well, I better go to bed so I’m not hopeless during the skiing lesson with Anya tomorrow,” Victor said, and then pushed away from the door.

“Wait, Vitya,” Yakov called and Victor cursed internally again, before turning back to his father, giving him the most innocent look he could. 

“Hm?”

“Where were you all night?” Yakov asked, and Victor fought against the impulse to run away. His heart started pounding roughly against his chest, and he was reminded of all the times he had lied as a teenager, sweat breaking out over the palms of his hands. “The arcade closed hours ago.”

“Ah, yes well I met some friends there,” Victor lied. “They were my age, their families are also staying here. We went up to their hotel room to watch a movie.”

“Friends?” Yakov asked, and Victor hummed in agreement. “As in several?”

“Yes,” Victor agreed with a nod, fighting the way his stomach continued to swoop with nerves. “A group.”

“That’s nice,” Yakov said with a nod, his eyes drifting back to the TV. “Introduce them to me, will you?” he asked as he looked back, and Victor nodded again.

“Sure, if I see them when I’m with you I will,” Victor said, and Yakov nodded, seeming pleased with that answer. “Good night.”

“It’s nice to see you make friends outside of dancing, Vitya,” Yakov said, and Victor had to hold back the sound that threatened to push itself from his lips, nodding instead. “Good night.” 

Victor echoed the phrase again, and then hurried to the bathroom to get ready for bed. It felt so incredibly silly, to feel like he had to hide from his father when he was an adult, but he couldn’t help it. Should he have told the truth? What would have happened if he did? He could have gotten the staff in trouble surely, and he knew that it would dampen the mood of the trip if his father found out he had danced. This type of dancing might upset him even more than ballet, with how it surely went against the family values his father wanted them to focus on when here. 

Victor pushed the thought from his mind, deciding that lying had been the best option for them all. Once he was done with his evening routine he walked out from the bathroom, and slipped into bed. His father seemed to have gone to bed too, the connecting hotel room now dark and quiet. 

Victor layed down, and fell asleep within moments, and dreamt of warm and strong hands holding onto him as he swayed. 


	5. Chapter 5

Victor felt like he was dead on his feet the next day in the slopes. He felt like he had been out partying all night the night before, and really, that was far from the truth. So yes, he had been at a party, and he had stayed out late, but he had only had a few sips of that drink before Yuuri showed up, so he was hardly hungover.

Maybe it was an emotional hangover.

He sighed, and squinted at the sunlight, willing it away. 

It was a beautiful day, and the slopes were filled with skiers and snowboarders enjoying the snow and the sun. Victor couldn’t blame them. It was nice - just the right temperature to not be freezing people's noses off, but not warm enough to make the snow mushy. There was no wind, and there weren’t that many people out skiing either. All and all it was a perfect day.

Victor was still miserable. 

There were a couple of reasons for his miserableness, so he really couldn’t blame Chris solely on the fact that he would have much rather have stayed in bed all day, or at least inside cuddled up into a ball with a cup of tea. The second reason was how Georgi and Anya were flirting blatantly before him, and really weren’t even considering the fact that he was even there. If Anya was a skiing instructor, she didn’t use that skill at all. She mostly acted as a guide, taking them from this place to another, showing them all the slopes. 

Neither of them spoke that much to Victor, and Victor would have been fine with that considering his pounding headache, if it hadn’t been for the excessive flirting. Really, it was getting out of hand. Victor repeatedly considered leaving the two to their own devices, but every time he was about to Anya would suggest another trail, speak to him for a few minutes, and then Victor would feel rude for leaving. So he pushed on. Hopefully he would be able to find some alone time at some point during the day. Being stuck with his family almost constantly was getting exhausting. 

The third reason for Victor’s misery was the fact that he seemed incapable of shaking off the feeling of Yuuri’s hands on his body. The sensation still lingered on his skin, and Victor found himself longing to feel it again. It was like ghost touch, a handprint, and Victor let his thoughts wander back to the night before when he zig-zagged between other skiers, making his way down the slopes. 

It had felt so right, in Yuuri’s arms, which was incredibly strange. Victor had felt awkward, and not at all graceful, and yet the sensation of dancing in such a way, Yuuri leading him, had been so incredibly freeing. Victor had never experienced anything like it. 

Was it simply the dance style? The rulelessness, the sense of feeling the music more than following a certain standard? The opportunity to indulge and set free something inside him. Was it simply dancing, which Victor knew he missed like a limb, that made the experience impossible to shake from his mind?

Was it because of Yuuri, his strong hands and arms, guiding Victor through unfamiliar steps? Had the sensation of freedom come from letting go and letting Yuuri lead, and show him through something new, and scary but yet slightly exhilarating? Was it his dark eyes that made Victor’s breath catch and long to reach out and touch?

Maybe it was all of it. 

Maybe it was none. 

Whatever it was, it kept Victor's mind so busy that the skiing became unfocused and really, not very pleasurable. There was just too much running through his mind, and while he appreciated the serenity of the mountain, he would probably have appreciated it more, had it not been for the constant flirting of his companions. 

Luckily, the day passed fairly quickly, and while dinner was spent trying to ignore the impulse to grin like an idiot every time Chris and he locked eyes, it was fairly uneventful. Victor retired early, deciding to hold off on the continued exploring for another day. He was exhausted, and couldn’t wait to fall into bed and sleep. Yakov stayed to talk to Ivan and some other old friend, while Georgi stayed to flirt with Anya. Victor was starting to think he had imagined the connection between her and Sara, or at least had exaggerated it in his mind. Anya kept showing interest in Georgi, and Victor would have to give her the benefit of the doubt. 

__________________________________

It turned out… that it might not be the best idea to do so. 

They were in the slopes the next day, the sky cloudier even if Victor's mind was more clear. He had gotten some really good sleep the night before, and even though there was still a tugging in his chest from wanting to go dance, he felt slightly better. There was a new problem on the horizon however, because Victor didn’t just want to dance instead of skiing, he was growing increasingly bored with it.

Victor had no idea how he was going to make it through this trip if he were to continue skiing this much. 

Still, today was a pretty good day, and he didn’t even mind the flirting between Anya and his brother as they made their way up and down the slopes. It had almost become known background noise at this point, and while Victor still considered leaving them so they wouldn’t have to deal with him as the third wheel, it was nice to see his brother happy. 

They had just come up at the top of the mountain again after taking the sitting ski lift, having skated down to the side not to be in the way for others stepping off. It was after lunch, and Victor was fairly sure he could get away with leaving the love birds after they had made it back down.

Someone passed them on a snowboard, but stopped once they spotted Anya. Victor blinked, and then realised why when he the woman removed her ski glasses, to reveal Sara. 

“Hi Anya!” she greeted squinting her eyes up at them. “Holding skiing lessons?”

Anya turned to her, and then she smiled, moving down to where Sara had stopped just a little further down. Victor caught Georgi frowning, and his brother started moving down the slope as well. Victor squirmed, but followed the group nonetheless.

“Hi Sara, yeah,” Anya said, and then turned to Georgi and Victor. “These are personal guests of my father, and he wanted me to make sure they were properly taken care of.”

“Isn’t that reserved for me,” Sara laughed with a blush coloring her cheeks, and Victor felt his eyes grow wide from the comment, snapping his head towards his brother, who’s frown was deepening. 

“I aaah yeah,” Anya said with a laugh, airy and a little too loud. “It’s important you know, to make sure everyone is tended to.” Anya turned to them then, and Victor didn’t know where to look. He felt almost as uncomfortable as he had been when stepping into the staff party two days ago. 

“Yes that is true,” Sara said, and then looked over at Victor and smiled. “Is Anya treating you good, teaching you all the tricks you need to know.”

“Anya is amazing, the best ski teacher I have ever seen,” Georgi instantly spurted, and Victor wanted to groan in frustration. Oh no. “She is doing a splendid job, and I am sure I could not have asked for anyone more skilled or beautiful to help me.”

“Oh I agree with you there,” Sara said, and Victor wanted to sink through the snow and hide. This must be flirting, right? Sure, Sara could only be trying to be friendly, but this was getting too much. In case Ivan’s speech was anything to go by - it would be more in the Catskills guidelines for Sara to try to flirt with them than with Anya.

“You’re too good to me,” Anya said, smiling towards Georgi, and then turned back to Sara. “We should get back to it. I don’t want these guys to feel like I’m not paying them the attention they deserve.”

“Okay,” Sara said, a little put out and almost uncertain. Her eyes drifted back to them, and Victor had no idea where to look. “I’ll see you later then? After dinner?”

“Yeah I’ll see you,” Anya said, and it sounded almost dismissively. Victor squirmed again, and then looked back to Sara, who looked conflicted, but still pulled her ski glasses down.

“It was nice to meet you,” Sara said, and then smiled, before pushing away on her board. Victor looked at Anya, who’s eyes lingered on Sara’s retreating form for a moment longer, before she sighed and turned back to them with a wide smile. 

“So!” she said, reaching out to put a hand on Georgi’s arm. “Did you want to go down 435 again, or try something else?”

“Who was that?” Georgi asked, and yeah, Victor really, really didn’t want to be here right now. 

“Who, Sara?” Anya asked, and Georgi nodded. Anya shook her head, and then tilted it to the side with a charming smile. “She’s just a girl who works here. She’s one of the dancers.”

“And you’re close?” Georgi asked, and Anya hummed, shrugging her shoulders. “She seemed very… friendly.”

“I mean we’ve worked together here for several years, but no we’re not super close. I just try to be kind to the staff you know. It’s important for me to learn management, if I’m to take over this place when daddy retires.” 

She smiled, sickly sweet, and yeah, Victor would have done better not to be here at all because he very much felt like he was eavesdropping in plain sight. 

“Oh, of course,” Georgi said with a nod, seeming to forget what his line of thinking was, clearly distracted by Anya’s fluttering lashes. Victor had seen this before with his brother, with Irina and Katarina and Anastasia and really the list could go on and on. 

“Mhm,” Anya agreed. “Now, are you ready to show me some moves down this slope. I’d love to see it.”

“Sure,” Georgi grinned, and Victor let out a long sigh.    
“I think I’ll take the 368 down, and then head back to the complex once I reach the bottom,” Victor spoke up, and Anya and Georgi looked over at him, both seeming equally surprised that he was still there. 

“Oh, yeah sure,” Anya said, and Victor bit back another sigh, and turned to let his skis slide him down the slope. His chosen slope, 368, was a fairly easy one, which was just a smooth slide down the mountain. It would take him from the top lift post all the way down to the complex, which worked perfectly for this purpose. 

He left his thoughts of Anya and Georgi up with them as he moved down. He didn’t feel like meddling, and at least Georgi had seen the same thing he had. Now he could make his own educated decision… hopefully. 

Having seen Sara made other things flow through Victor's mind however. He was reminded of the way she had danced with Yuuri on that second night, at the opening ball. The way Yuuri had guided her, had held her as he dipped, and spun and lifted Sara across the floor. 

It had been beautiful. 

Did it feel as freeing as Victor had felt dancing with Yuuri? It had been grinding on the dance floor for them, but Victor had never experienced something like it before. Did Sara experience that every time they danced? She was a lucky person if she did. 

Victor felt the longing to dance swell in his chest again, and once he reached the bottom of the hill and the complex, he was all but itching with it. He stepped his skis off, and then headed into the complex. He removed his ski boots and placed them in the locked booth which he had been given when they checked in, and replaced them with his sneakers. He hurried across the lobby, and didn’t dare look towards the dance studios. He might be too tempted if he did.

Instead he hurried to their room, and once inside he shedded his clothing until he was only in his thermals. He stopped then, and looked around both hotel rooms. His father was nowhere to be seen, and Victor let out a slow breath, going back to fumble his phone out of his jacket that he had discarded on the floor. He thumbed through a few playlists on it, and then started one at random that he hoped would work.

The music filled the room, and Victor put his phone on a table, and closed his eyes. He let the rhythm flow through his system, and he let out a slow breath, bent his knees, and moved. 

It was not smooth, and Victor could feel how incredibly awkward he looked. He was sure he would cringe helplessly if he saw himself in a mirror. The thing was, Victor was stubborn, and even though his body wanted to move in more familiar patterns, Victor stayed firm. He could push himself to be better at this, to grow.

The only problem was that even if this was as if a touch of that freedom he had felt that night, it didn’t come close to how he had felt in Yuuri’s arms. 

Victor let out a groan, and once the song ended he opened his eyes, trying not to let the frustration get the better of him. He was better than that, he knew it, and Lilia had always told him so too. 

He started another song, centered himself, and started to move again. 

  
  



	6. Chapter 6

Victor was wandering the halls on the sixth night, having managed to escape his family by claiming he was meeting up with the friends he had watched a movie with the other night. It had been a blatant lie of course, but his father had looked so pleased over him making friends with ‘good moralled young adults’, that Victor had just smiled and walked away. Now he was wandering the corridor for the activities, contemplating what to do. 

It seemed, he didn’t have to wonder for too long. 

Just as he passed one of the dance studios it opened, and he froze in surprise, as other guests pushed out from the room, laughing and talking as they passed him. The light from the studio shone out into the corridor, and like a moth to a flame Victor stepped closer to peer inside.

It was a beautiful studio, and well kept too. Three of the walls were white, with a barre in oak running horizontally along them, at the perfect height to grip. One of the walls was completely covered in mirrors, reflecting the polished oak floor. It looked almost like every other dance studio he had been in, with a few differences in size and shape. 

Victor’s heart clenched, and he couldn’t help but step inside. There were two dancers there putting away movable barres, and Victor recognized them as he stepped closer. 

“Hi Phichit, Mila,” he greeted, and the dancers turned towards him, and once they spotted it was him, they smiled.

“Hi Victor!” Mila greeted with a grin. Victor had been introduced to her at the party. Apparently she was Phichit’s dance partner, and they had both been with the crew since graduating high school. 

“Victor! Hi!” Phichit said with a grin, putting the barre away to the side. “I’m afraid dance class is just over.”

“No, it’s okay, I wasn’t coming by to take it. I just walked by as the door opened,” Victor explained, and stepped up to help Mila put the next barre away.

“Okay, cool,” Phichit said with a smile that soon turned teasing. “How is hanging out with Mr. Goncharov?”

“Ehm, I might be playing hooky,” Victor admitted, and Mila grinned widely as Phichit nodded. “I said I was meeting up with some friends but I mostly just wanted to get out of there.”

“Lucky you met us then, because then you didn’t lie,” Mila said proudly, and Victor turned to her with wide eyes, blinking in disbelief. Mila chuckled, but didn’t elaborate.

“So, you want to come with us to the cabin?” Phichit asked, and Victor turned to him with a quizzical look.

“Cabin?” he asked, and Phichit nodded as he took a swing of his water bottle. “Like the one the party was in?”

“Oh no, not tonight,” Phichit said, wiping some water from his chin. “So, we live in the small cabins at the foot of the slopes, all the staff do. I share with some of the other dancers, like Mila.”

“Although, he spends half his time in Chris’ cabin,” Mila said, and Phichit grinned widely. 

“I have to take all the opportunities I can to snuggle my boyfriend, thank you very much,” Phichit said, and Mila chuckled. 

“Yeah so tonight there’s no party, but we’re hanging out in Phichit’s cabin, because there will probably be some gossip,” Mila explained, and motioned towards the door. Victor followed, his curiosity peaked. 

“Gossip?” he asked, and Mila nodded. She looked slightly mischievous, but when Victor looked over at Phichit, he was frowning. “Something serious?”

“It could be,” Phichit mumbled, and Mila nodded as they guided Victor in the opposite direction of the lobby. 

“Come on Phichit,” she said, giving him a smile Victor thought might be going for reassuring. “Sara wouldn’t be that careless, right?”

“Sara is a sapphic disaster and I don’t trust her longer than I can throw her,” Phichit said, and Mila chuckled. “What?”

“That’s what Anya said,” she said, and then started laughing loudly, the sound echoing between the walls. Phichit looked at her with wide eyes, and then put his hand over his mouth to try to stop the giggle that pushed from his mouth. Mila laughed even harder at that, and then Phichit couldn’t hold back any more, laughter spilling from his mouth as they walked through a door at the far of the corridor. 

The space they stepped into was clearly not meant for guests. There were no Christmas decorations or music, only bare walls and harsh lighting. There were shelves with storage along the sides that they passed, but Phichit and Mila didn’t slow, their goal clearly elsewhere.   
“That was so cold!” Phichit said between laughing, and Victor looked at them with a smile on his lips. He had no idea what was so funny, but the interaction was so genuine and unguarded it made something warm spread in his chest. “Mila, such a savage.”

“You can’t say I’m not right,” Mila said, grinning proudly. She turned to Victor, and gave him a wink. “Okay, so you know Sara?” she asked, and Victor nodded. Phichit threw them a look, and then turned them down another corridor. 

“Mila, not here,” he said, and Mila seemed to remember herself, nodding as she and Phichit caught eyes. 

“Oh yeah right,” she said, and then smiled towards Victor. “It’s a secret. You’re getting all the good juice now.”

“I bet,” Victor said, and just then Phichit pushed the door before him open, leading them outside. They hurried forward, and Victor followed in the swirling snow. It was a fairly short walk to the small cabin village, and Mila guided him to the right one by tugging at his elbow. Phichit opened the green door of the red cabin, and they all huddled inside, hiding from the harsh wind.

The warmth of the cabin washed over them, and Victor took a deep breath, his nose filling with the smell of coffee. There was chatter coming from deeper within the house, as well as the pleasant background sound of music. 

“Huuu,” Mila said as she shivered. “I have to get better at bringing a coat.” 

“Yeah,” Phichit agreed, kicking off his shoes. “We’re home!”

“Welcome home!” an array of voices called back, and Mila kicked off her shoes to follow Phichit into the cabin, leaving her duffle bag in the hallway. Victor toed off his shoes as well, and followed. 

The cabin was cozy, if a bit time worn. To the right there was a small bathroom, and next to it there was a kitchen, small and cramped. Chris was in it, chopping something on a cutting board. He looked up, and smiled as he spotted Victor and Mila, Phichit having disappeared into one of the doors to the left.

“Victor!” Chris said cheerily, waiving the knife in greeting, which was surely not very safe. “Welcome to the cabins. Did Peach bring you in?”

“Yeah he came in to say hi to us once we finished the dance class,” Mila said, walking into the kitchen. “What are you making?” 

“Pie,” Chris said, and met Mila’s gaze. “I figured she could use it… maybe you all do.”

“Are they back?” Mila asked, and Chris shook his head. Mila’s expression fell too, and she nodded, turning back to Victor.

“Do you want tea?” she asked, reaching over to the kettle and started to fill it.

“Sure,” Victor agreed and stepped into the kitchen further. “Do you live here too Mila?”

“No, I’m in the other dancer's cabin,” she said, starting the kettle before opening a cabin to pull out mugs. “There’s four beds in this one, and five in the other. This one has the biggest living room though, so we’re usually here. We’re ten dancers, so Yuuri lives in the old dance studio to make room for us all.”

“Oh,” Victor said, feeling his heart flip from the mentioning of the other dancer. If Yuuri wasn’t living here, Victor probably wouldn’t see him then. “And where’s the old dance studio?”

“It’s on the other side, a bit up, almost in the slope 342,” Chris said. “It’s good, because Yuuri needs his space.”

“Yes, so in here it’s Phichit and Sara, and then Leo and Guang Hong have one room they share,” Mila explained, pulling packets of tea out and motioning for Victor to pick one. “Chris is an honorary member of this house, since he’s Phichit’s boyfriend.” 

“I also cook, so I get benefits,” Chris chuckled, and Mila grinned and nodded. The kettle cut off, and Mila reached over to grab it, before she started pouring them both a cup each. 

“Do you need help Chris or can we head in?” Mila asked, but Chris assured her that he was almost done. Mila guided Victor out from the kitchen into the corridor again. They met Phichit on their way, who headed into the kitchen as they moved to the living room. On the way, Mila pointed out who’s bedroom was who’s. 

The rooms were sparse in furniture. There were only a bed and a closet, but each room held its own feeling, clearly decorated by the person occupying it. There were posters and fabric hung up on the yellow walls, and the light bulbs had been changed in one of the rooms to make the light red instead. In one room there was a pilates ball, in another a TV and a video game set. It seemed they had all done what they could to make it homey, even if they didn’t have much. 

It was very different from the hotel room. 

The living room wasn’t particularly fancy either, but it had two two-seat couches, as well as an array of arm chairs in different colors and forms. There was a stereo in one corner, and a coffee table in the middle of it all, but there wasn't much else. The walls were yellow here too, looking watered down. There were some posters put up here as well, as well as photos that seemed to be taped to the wall. 

“Hi,” Mila greeted as they stepped inside, and Victor’s eyes roamed over the crowd gathered there. There were a lot of people, just as Mila had said, probably most the dancers. “For those of you who didn’t meet him the other night, this is Victor, Victor this is everyone.” 

“Hi!” several people called, and Mila guided Victor to an armchair and sat him down, taking the one next to him herself. 

“Has there been any news?” Mila asked as soon as they were seated, but the crowd shook their heads. Mila let out a long sigh, and brought the cup up to her lips. “I hope it’s because they didn’t think it was serious.”

“I don’t know what we’ll do,” a man with half long brown hair, sitting on the other side of Victor, said with a sigh. He was in another man’s lap, his feet kicked over the armrest. Victor vaguely remembered him as Guang Hong, which meant the man under him was probably Leo. 

“Let’s not jump to conclusions,” a man with dark hair said from the other side of the table, a woman with brown hair in a pigtail nodding by his side. “It was probably not as bad as we think.”

“Yes let’s keep Takashi’s positive mindset in mind before we know,” the woman beside him said.

“What’s happened?” Victor asked in a whisper, leaning over to Mila. He didn’t want the others to think he was nosy, but the suspense was really eating at him now. He figured it had something to do with Sara, he just had no idea what. 

“Oh, yeah so,” Mila said, straightening a little in her chair. “Last night, Sara and Anya broke into the spa after it had closed. Or I mean- broke in is a bit excessive, I think Anya has a key.”

“Anya and Sara?” Victor asked, just to confirm. Mila nodded as she hummed, taking a sip of her tea. “Ivan’s daughter Anya?”

“Yeah, they’re a thing… or were, I’m not sure,” Mila said, a frown forming between her brows as she caressed her thumb along the rim of the cup. “Anya she’s… she does this a lot. She picks someone each season from the staff that she charms. She’s never gone for any of us before. I think Sara thought it would be different but….” Mila let out a slow sigh, and then looked back at Victor. “It’s not serious to her. She has a tendency to hurt people. I don’t- I haven’t been with her so I don’t know, but she has a reputation.”

“Okay,” Victor said, wringing his hands together. “She’s really been flirting with my brother too. I don’t think they’ve done anything beyond that but…” Victor frowned, and Mila nodded.

“Yeah I don’t know, sorry,” she said, and then they were interrupted by Guang Hong by Victor’s side.

“Are you talking about Sara?” he asked, and Mila nodded. “I feel so bad for her. She was so upset when they left.”

“Yeah,” Leo agreed, his fingers caressing through Guang Hong’s hair. “It’s not really easy, breaking your foot and having your heart broken at the same time.”    
“Wait what?” Victor asked, feeling dread fill his body at the words. Getting hurt was a dancer’s nightmare. Victor frequently feared something happening that would harm his chances to dance. Sara was a professional dancer as well. 

“Yeah,” Mila said, and then the front door opened, and closed. The entire room fell quiet, and it was as if they were all holding their breaths for what was about to happen next. Victor could hear Phichit speaking to someone in a soft voice, and then there were steps down the hall. Victor craned his neck, and then his heart paused in his chest.

Yuuri was walking down the small corridor, still in his jacket with snow sprinkled in his dark hair and across his shoulders. His glasses were speckled with drops as well, and it was clear he had walked quite a bit out in the snowfall. He was without shoes and only in socks, and in his arms he was carrying a sleeping Sara closely to his chest. 

Half the room was on their feet in an instant, but Yuuri gave them a pointed look, before turning into one of the bedrooms. There was some shuffling from the other dancers, but no one seemed to dare to say anything. A few sat back down, and Victor curled up into the armchair with his cup, unsure of what was going on and if he should even stay. 

Yuuri came back out after a little while, this time without Sara, and then headed in the opposite direction of the living room. Phichit and Chris came into it just then, and another dancer looked at them with a confused expression.

“Is Yuuri leaving?” she asked, and Phichit shook his head.

“No, he’s just taking off his coat,” Phichit promised, and the dancer nodded. Chris and Phichit sat down on a couch as well, and soon Yuuri returned, looking tired and defeated. Something in Victor’s chest tugged, but he said nothing. Instead he did as everyone else did, and followed Yuuri with his gaze as he sat down. 

“You want anything, Yuuri?” the woman with the brown hair and ponytail said, and Yuuri pulled his glasses from his face, rubbing his eyes before he nodded. 

“Uhm, water please Yuuko? Or tea? I feel like we were there forever,” he said, and Yuuko nodded and stood to disappear into the kitchen. 

“What did they say?” Phichit asked, and Yuuri let out a deep sigh, before resting back against the backrest of his chair. Yuuko came back, and Yuuri smiled at her as she handed him the glass of water. 

“Well,” Yuuri started, and he clenched his jaw tightly. “It’s not broken, but it’s severely hurt. The ligaments were stretched, and there’s severe inflammation in the joint.”

“Did Sara say what happened?” Mila asked, and Yuuri’s expression turned even darker, anger clear in his expression. 

“Yeah she and Anya had drunk, a lot, and apparently Anya wanted to prove that she could lift Sara just as well as I did,” Yuuri explained with a sigh. “They went down to the spa, so that no one would see them, and of course Anya couldn’t so when she was about to lift Sara, she slipped. Sara got her foot under her, and landed on the ankle.”

“Oh no,” Guang Hong said, and Victor felt dread fill his entire body by the mere thought of it. He looked around the room, and saw equally horrified expressions on the other dancers’ faces. 

“Yeah, so, since Anya panicked, she left her there,” Yuuri said, and the room let out a collective gasp. Victor’s stomach turned. He had been with Anya today, skiing with her. It had only been before lunch, because Victor had opted to ski on his own for a while after that, but she hadn’t said anything about that. She hadn’t seemed distressed in any way. 

“What do you mean left her?” Chris asked in disbelief, and Yuuri shook his head as if he couldn’t believe it either, and his jaw clenched again. 

“I mean,” he started, and paused as if to control himself. “She ran away and didn’t come back. Sara had to get herself back to where her clothes and phone were to call me for help. With her being drunk and all, she walked on her injured foot, which probably made it worse,” Yuuri said, and the room fell into silence as they all simply stared. Yuuri took another breath, and continued. 

“So she called me, and I had to break into the spa to go get her, and she couldn’t walk. She was sure it was just a sprain, and I believed her so I took her back here and put her foot up but this morning it was so swollen and blue and I should have taken her to the hospital immediately-”

“Yuuri you didn’t know,” Leo insisted, and Yuuri shook his head, pushing his glasses up again to rub at his eyes again. 

“What did they say about prognosis?” Mila asked, and Victor looked over at her. She looked so incredibly worried, and Victor’s heart clenched from the sight. They all seemed to care so much for each other, and Victor felt anger rise in his chest from what Anya had done to someone who had put enough faith in them to do lifts - drunk or not.

“They said she should heal fully,” Yuuri said, and the room let out a collective sigh of relief. “In about a month.”

“A month!?” Takeshi gasped, and Victor saw how distressed everyone in the room became from the information. “And the competition is in-”

“A week,” Phichit filled in, his voice quiet. 

No one spoke, and Victor looked around the room and tried to understand. A month was bad, and surely when you worked like this group did it was not ideal, but it wasn’t that long. The resort would be open for three months at least after Christmas, so there would be plenty of time for Sara to still work when she had healed. 

“Fuck,” Guang Hong said, and dry chuckles fell from several of the dancers’ lips, but there was no amusement in them.

“Yes exactly,” Yuuri said, slumping back fully. “I don’t know what to do. I should have just-”

“This is not your fault, Yuuri Katuski,” Yuuko said sternly. “You did everything you thought was right to help this situation. If anything it’s Sara’s, but most of all Anya who’s a spoiled rich girl who’s used to getting all the toys, and throwing them away once she’s bored of them.”

“Yeah, that’s the real cherry on this cake,” Yuuri said, and that same sharpness of voice as before. “Sara texted her when we were waiting for the x-ray results, asking where she had gone. She basically got the answer ‘it was fun while it lasted, I hope the hospital visit goes well.’”

“What!?” Mila exclaimed, just as Guang Hong said ‘Oh my god’ along with several other people exclaiming their distress. Victor felt sick. He could see Anya perfectly from today, acting just as usual, like nothing like that had happened and he wanted to shout and scream over it.

Who could be so cold hearted?

“Yeah, I’m not sure if she was more upset about her broken ankle or heart,” Yuuri said, and then shook his head. The joke made in a similar manner earlier felt horrible now, when there was truth to it. 

“What do we do about it?” Takeshi asked, and no one in the room said anything for a long moment, before Mila cleared her throat. 

“I could do it,” she said, and Yuuri shook his head. “I could though! I know it wouldn’t be ideal but-””   
“We’ve only been allowed to have two dancers be absent at the show on the fifteenth,” Yuuri said, and Mila looked like she already knew this but was just trying to find some way to fix whatever they were all so worried about. “The pieces for the show here at the complex are just finished, right? It’ll take so much time to rework them without you, and then that’s on top of the dance classes we hold.”

“And with Sara gone, someone has to cover her classes, we will all have to help out. If you were to do the competition, you and Yuuri would have to practice the entire week for it, we would lose two more teachers,” Guang Hong pointed out. “It wouldn’t matter whoever of us did it, it wouldn’t be manageable.”

“We need that money though,” Phichit pointed out. “The victory money from the ballroom competition is what keeps us fed April to June.” 

“I should have taken her to the hospital immediately,” Yuuri groaned, and Yuuko reached out towards him, but stopped herself halfway there. 

“We’ll be okay,” Leo said with a smile. “It’ll be rough, but that money’s never a sure thing. Even if Yuuri and Sara are amazing performers, it’s a competition with a lot of great dancers. It’s a big ballroom competition after all.”

“I’m so sorry,” Yuuri said, his voice broken. It made Victor’s heart break. He had to do something, surely he could do  _ something _ . He looked at Yuuri, who was looking down at the floor, and made a decision. 

“I could do it,” Victor said, sounding much more confident than he felt. The room paused, and everyone’s attention turned towards him. Yuuri’s did too, his dark eyes finding Victor’s from the other side of the coffee table. Victor felt pinned under it, and he held firm, keeping Yuuri’s gaze.

“What?” Yuuri asked, and Victor licked his lips as determination filled him. 

“I could do it,” he repeated, sitting up a little straighter as he said it. It made sense. He could at least try. “You would only have to spare Yuuri for practices then instead of two people, and I have the time. I have dance experience too.”

“Ballroom?” Yuuri asked, his eyes moving over VIctor’s features. Victor felt his confidence crumble just a little, but he hoped it didn’t show.

“No,” he admitted, because even if Lilia had taught him a few basics, he was nowhere near competing level. Still, he pushed on. “I know how to dance though, and I could help.”

“Yuuri,” Phichit said, and when Victor looked over at him, seeing the hopeful expression on his face. “It’s the best plan we got.”

“How… how will we get it to work?” Mila asked, and Victor turned to her, seeing her shuffle forwards as well. 

“We’ll cover your shifts, and we’ll work on the show in the evenings,” Leo agreed, and Guang Hong nodded, a smile tugging at his lips. 

“And you can use the old dance studio to practice,” he said, and Yuuri blinked at him. “No one uses it anyway, so it’s not like anyone would notice.”

“We have to win to get the money though,” Yuuri argued, but it sounded weak. Victor could see the light return to his eyes, as they flickered back to Victor.

“You can’t win if you don’t compete,” Leo argued with a grin, and several of the dancers laughed. A smile tugged at Yuuri’s lips, and then he turned back to Victor. For a moment they simply locked eyes, and Victor wondered what he was thinking.

“Why?” Yuuri asked, and Victor smiled, looking down at his hands before looking back up into Yuuri’s eyes.

“I want to help,” he answered simply. It was the biggest reason. It seemed unfair, for them to be treated so unkindly and for Victor to do nothing when he had the opportunity to. It wasn’t the full truth though. 

He really wanted to dance, which really was nothing new… but surprisingly - he really wanted to dance with Yuuri.

Yuuri looked at him, and then he seemed to falter a bit, the frown coming back to his face as he rubbed his hands together.

“I can’t- I-” he started, and then took a deep breath before he continued. “We need that money and if we would win-”

“I don’t need the money,” Victor said firmly, because this was really not about the money for him. He would never be so petty to take money from people who needed it.

“I bet you don’t,” Takeshi said, and Victor felt it like a punch to the gut, the rest of the room seemed to find it out of line too.

“Hey,” Phichit said sharply, and several others raised their voices too. The man raised his hands in a placating motion. 

“I’m sorry,” he said, even if he didn’t really look like it. It didn’t matter. All that mattered now was what Yuuri thought. Victor turned back to him, wondering why he was so nervous.

“I just- If I can help you, and Sara, and the group…I would like to,” he said, his heart beating roughly against his chest. Yuuri looked at him for a long time, and then he nodded.

“Okay,” he said, and Victor let out a stuttering breath. “We’ll start tomorrow.”


	7. Chapter 7

Victor woke the next day, his entire body filled with nerves. He rolled over in the plush bed to reach for his phone on the nightstand, and unlocked it, finding he had woken well before his alarm. He bit into his lip, and tried to take a calming breath. He had decided with Yuuri to meet at nine, which was usually the time he and Geogri would be meeting Anya out in the slopes by the ski lift. 

Victor had no intention to ski today, or at all really in the coming week. 

It would be hard work, Victor was sure. He held no delusions in that dance, including ballroom, was not something you simply did. It took countless hours of practice. Still, he would do his best. He knew some basics, and even if he had never danced Mambo before, he hoped he would sort it out. 

Yuuri was a dance teacher after all. 

Victor got out of bed and collected the few dance friendly garments he had. He hadn’t brought anything of the sort really, but a couple of sweatpants and tights had been packed, and would surely work alright now. He hurried to the bathroom to put it on, making sure to brush all the knots out of his hair and put it up in a high ponytail. He then pulled a warm sweater over, hiding the fact that he wasn’t wearing thermals. He needed to be smart about this. 

His father couldn’t know after all. 

Once he got out both Georgi and Yakov were awake, and there was pleasant chatter between the three of them as they made their way down to breakfast. Their morning waiter Minami greeted them with a big grin, and made sure they all got their preferred beverages, and then left them to collect their food from the buffet. Victor was surprised at how well he managed to keep his plans for the day to himself, even if he was bursting with it. 

Yakov left them to their own devices after they had eaten, to do whatever he passed the time with as he sent them out into the slopes, and Victor and Georgi moved to put on ski boots and skis.

“So, I was going to go skiing with some friends today,” Victor said, trying to sound casual as he snapped his boots shut. “So I guess I’ll leave you and Any to your own devices.”

Victor felt bad about it. He knew he should warn his brother in some way, but he wasn’t sure how to do that without exposing his new friends and get them in trouble. Georgi had always been much better at playing by the rules than Victor, and he was sure if Victor were to tell him about Anya, he would have to spill the whole story to his brother. He guessed it wouldn’t even take Georgi ten minutes before he told their father. 

“Oh, is it nice to have found friends that are not wearing spandex?” Georgi asked with a chuckle, and Victor’s brain function came to a screeching halt thinking about Yuuri in spandex. He cleared his throat to try to will his blush down, and focused back on his boots. Georgi laughed, and Victor realised after far too long, that it wasn’t a very nice thing to say. 

“Why do you have to be like that?” he asked with a sigh, pushing up from the bench. Georgi stretched his arms over his head, and gave him a smug grin. Oh no. Victor recognized this now. He always got all gloaty when he had a new love interest that it was going well with. Add that with their father’s heightened attention as well as spending every evening talking to someone as stuck up as JJ, this was bound to happen. 

Victor should have seen it coming. 

“I’m just saying it’s good you’re growing up, and seeing that there’s other things than dance,” Georgi said, and Victor clenched his jaw tightly. “Dad’s right Vitya, it’s time to let it go.”

It hurt more than Victor wanted to admit, to know Georgi fully took their father’s side. That, and the way he spoke to Victor like he knew all the answers in the world, made the guilt from not saying anything about Anya wash away from Victor’s conscience. At least for the moment.

“Whatever,” Victor said, walking away towards the door. “Just tell Anya that I won’t be skiing with you this week.”

“This week?” Georgi asked, and Victor turned back to him just before he pushed the door open, looking back at his brother. “Dad decided that we should take lessons from her for the entire stay.”

“I guess I just don’t feel like it,” Victor said with a shrug, and Georgi frowned at him. “It’s not like she teaches us anything anyway.”

“Anya is an excellent teacher, you just can’t appreciate her forward thinking teaching style,” Geogri said, and Victor couldn’t help but roll his eyes. 

“Okay, so you go enjoy it then, and I’ll go do something I enjoy,” Victor shot back. Georgi leaned forward and shook his head. 

“So there are other things than dance you enjoy? You’ve been moping around ever since Dad gave you that ultimatum a month ago like there isn’t. Like there’s nothing in the world that you could ever like that isn’t dance,” Georgi said, and Victor clenched his jaws tight. 

“It’s not that easy, giving up something you’ve done almost all your life,” Victor shot back sharply, and Georgi narrowed his eyes. 

“Which is why you need to grow up,” he said, and Victor shook his head. This was clearly going nowhere, and he had somewhere else to be. 

“This is pointless,” Victor said, and then pushed out the door without looking back. He found his skis easily, and snapped his ski boots into the binding, and then skated off. He was angry, and he wanted to shout, or kick something, but that would hardly be productive, or safe with the skis on. Instead he skated to the side, and took one of the smaller lifts up a slope. He jumped off at the top of it, and then skated down to the old dance studio Yuuri apparently lived in. Victor stepped out of his skis and put them against the wall, and walked up the stairs on the side as gracefully as one could in a pair of ski boots. 

The house was nestled in between a couple of high pine trees, and it looked rundown and forgotten, and Victor hadn’t even noticed it before it had been pointed out to him yesterday. He reached the door on the side, and Victor took a deep breath and opened it, slipping inside and closing it behind him.

He found himself in a hallway, with several coat hangers and shoe racks. It was clear that this space had been made to host several people at the same time, but the hallway was completely empty now. Music was drifting through from the open door at the far end of the room, and Victor hurried to pull his ski boots off, before hanging his jacket up and pulling the additional clothing off. He took another deep breath, and then he walked over to the door opening, coming to a stop. 

The studio was fairly big, with light grey walls and a light oak floor. There was a low box running along the wall where the mirror was, just under it. On it there were a sweater, and two pairs of shoes, as well as a phone plugged into the stereo. A white support beam stood proudly in the middle of the room. The dance studio was lit from the daylight from the large windows that decorated the space right under the ceiling, casting it in a pale light, unlike the usual warm light some fluorescents or spotlights many dance schools used. 

On the dance floor, there was Yuuri, dressed in all black, hair soft and unstyled, glasses on his nose. He was facing the mirror, and moving though what looked like basic steps. Victor followed the movements, mesmerized. Yuuri had such flow in his body, as if he had been made to dance. Every time Victor saw him he felt like he needed to catch his breath, and it didn’t seem to matter if it was a waltz, or if he was grinding with someone at a staff party. 

The memory of Yuuri grinding  _ him _ during the party came back with shocking impact, and Victor felt himself blush as his stomach swooped, while he watched Yuuri roll his hips. 

“Oh.”

Victor snapped his gaze from Yuuri’s moving pelvis up to his face, meeting Yuuri’s wide brown eyes. Victor licked his lips, and willed the burning blush on his cheeks to go down. He smiled, and pushed a strand that had fallen free from his put up hair behind his ear.

“Sorry I didn’t mean to interrupt you,” Victor said, and Yuuri shook his head furiously, moving over to his phone to turn the music off. It cast the room into shocking silence, and for a moment they simply stared at each other. Victor had no idea what to say or do. 

“Don’t worry about it,” Yuuri finally said, pulling his eyes away from Victor. “I wasn't paying attention to the door. Come in.”

“Thank you,” Victor said, and carefully stepped inside. “I’m sorry I didn’t have any more dance appropriate clothes. This was the best I could scramble up from my packing.”

“You’re fine,” Yuuri said, fiddling with his hands before looking up at Victor again. “So, uhm, dance experience? Not in the Mambo?”

“No, never done any Mambo dancing,” Victor admitted with a nod. “I know Waltz, and some Salsa.”

“Ah, so I-,” Yuuri started, and then looked up. He took a deep breath, and squared his shoulders. Suddenly, it was as if he demanded attention from the entire room, and Victor was all too keen to give that attention. Yuuri stepped towards him, and then offered his hand, palm up. 

Victor took it, and followed Yuuri, who led him onto the dance floor, Victor’s heart racing in his chest. They came to a stop in the middle of the room, and Yuuri turned them towards the mirror, and let his hand slide form Victor’s grip. Victor had a hard time looking away from him, and it took a good moment before he managed, turning towards the mirror to meet Yuuri’s gaze there. 

“So, we’re going to use a Waltz frame for when we’re practicing the basics, but there are a few other hand holds in Mambo. We’ll get to that once we start dancing together.”

“Okay,” Victor agreed, and mimicked Yuuri as he raised his hands. “Like this?”

“Yes, your hand will be in mine and one my shoulder, while mine is on your waist, or more like, up by your shoulder blade. It’s a wide frame. We both have our own spaces to dance in.”

“Okay,” Victor said again with a nod, locking his frame slightly to keep his posture. He looked at himself in the mirror, and couldn’t help but feel warmth fill his chest. It looked slightly odd, not holding his arms in a ballet position, but perhaps he would get used to it. 

“Good,” Yuuri said, and Victor saw a smile tug at his own lips from the compliment. “Now, we’re stepping forward with our left foot on the two.”

“Two?” Victor asked and blinked, and Yuuri nodded, looking at himself in the mirror.

“Yes, in Mambo it’s always on the two,” he said, and then he shifted his posture just slightly. “One,” Yuuri said, and stood completely still. “Two.” He stepped forward, moving his weight over to the ball of his foot. “Three.” He lifted his back foot and put it back down on the count, placing his weight on it. “Four.” He stepped back, putting his feet parallel again. “Then it’s back, the same motion but with your right. One.” Yuuri stood still. “Two.” He stepped back with his right foot. “Three.” He lifted his left foot, and put it down on the count. “Four.” He moved forward again, putting his feet together. 

This was all done with a fluid roll of hips, and Victor felt a shocking worry fill him, wondering if he would ever be able to move like that. Yuuri’s eyes met his eyes in the mirror, and Victor swallowed. “Follow me?” he asked, and Victor nodded and turned back to face himself in the mirror. 

He could do this.

He had to.

_________________________________

Mambo was evil. 

Victor had been trying for so long now, and just when he was sure he got it, he stepped on the one again. It was completely impossible. Who was it who had come up with this stupid dance, that made one’s head spin so much? Victor felt like he was fighting every dance impulse he had as he tried not to step forward as the count started. 

“Ready?” Yuuri said, and Victor nodded, looking down at his feet, willing them to comply. “You have to look into my eyes,” Yuuri reminded, and Victor nodded, looking back up to catch Yuuri’s deep brown gaze. 

Maybe it wasn’t his fault at all. Yuuri’s eyes were terribly distracting, and Victor really had a hard time focusing on anything but them as he tried to will his body to corporate. Yuuri’s hands were just as strong as Victor had remembered them being when they danced at the party. 

It was terribly distracting as well.

The song started again, and Yuuri set his shoulders, Victor doing the same. Then he stepped on the one, right on Yuuri’s foot. 

“You can’t step on the one,” Yuuri reprimanded as he hissed, and Victor felt all of his composure crumble. They had been dancing for hours, and Victor was tired and frustrated and he wanted to get it so bad. Why couldnt he get it!

“ _ How _ !?” he groaned in frustration, and Yuuri looked at him with wide eyes. “It’s impossible! Who invents such a masochistic form of dance? Dancers that are always off beat and therefore miss the first count!?” 

Yuuri looked at him with a shocked expression, and Victor clasped his hand over his mouth in horror over his own behaviour. He couldn't believe he had just done that… said that! 

“Yuuri I’m-” he started but then Yuuri brought his own hand up to his mouth, and his eyes crinkled in the prettiest way. Victor stared in awe, as Yuuri pulled his hand from his mouth, and laughed. 

It was bright and clear, and soon Victor was laughing too, unable to hold himself back. They both laughed and laughed, and Victor felt some of the tension bleed from him as they looked at each other, wide grins on their faces as they calmed down. 

“I’m really sorry,” Victor said, and Yuuri shook his head. 

“No, you're right, I’ve never heard it said like that though,” he admitted with a chuckle. He looked at Victor for a moment longer, still smiling, before he looked away into the mirror. “Maybe… would it help if you think of the breath before as a movement?”

“What?” Victor asked, and Yuuri smiled, a little softer now, and raised his arms in the frame towards the mirror. Victor mirrored him, and watched. 

“If you take a breath on the one, and focus on that being the first step, before you move your feet,” Yuuri explained. “One,” he counted, taking a deep breath, excessively big. “Two.” Yuuri moved forward, going through the steps as he continued to count through the entire four. He started moving back next, and then to the side, and then to the other side. Once he was back to moving forward, Victor followed. 

They moved through the movement a few times, adn Victor felt himself smile wider and wider. It was easier to think of the breath as a movement. Yuuri grinned too, and once they had moved through it a few times, he stopped and dropped his arms. 

“Good,” he praised with a satisfied nod. “Let's eat something, and then we can continue after.”

Victor agreed with a grin, probably a little too proudly, and followed Yuuri out of the studio by a door on the far side of the room. There was a staircase there, that led down into the ground floor. They came down into a combined kitchen and living room, which seemed as run down and forgotten as the studio. The walls were grey here too, and there was an old carpet on the floor, as well as a few shelves on the walls. There was a music player in the corner, and a brown couch and a black coffee table. Nothing seemed to match, but seemed more like a gathering of furniture that had been left over from somewhere else. There was a small kitchen along one wall with dark cabinets, as well as a stove and a fridge. Victor could see two doors in the back - probably leading to a bedroom and a bathroom. 

Yuuri cooked them a quick and delicious lunch, and as they ate on the couch they talked about the competition, and how it would be organized. Yuuri and Sara had competed at it for three years, and this would have been the fourth. They had come in second the first year, and then won the past two. Yuuri explained that the top three couples got a fairly hefty prize sum, coming from a foundation that wanted to support ballroom dancers. There would be one dance, the Mambo they were practising now, and it would be a show piece with them on a stage, showing themselves off. 

Victor felt butterflies erupt in his stomach from the thought of the competition, feeling nervous and slightly terrified. With how today had gone, he really didn’t have much hope of them winning. Still, he was slightly relieved of it being a showpiece. He was much more accustomed to being on a stage than having to share a competition floor after all. 

Yuuri didn’t ask about his dancers background, and Victor didn’t ask him either, scared of it opening the door to Yuuri asking what experience Victor had. He wasn’t sure he was ready to talk about it, or explain why he had been able to let it go.

Had he let it go?

It didn’t feel like it. 

The break was quick, and once they came back to the dance studio, everything seemed to have fallen a little bit more into place in Victor's body. He shook his head at himself. He knew it worked like this. Sometimes, the body needed time to let the muscles form the movement memory, and then it came on its own. Victor would not say he was there yet, but he would do his best to try. 

They had eight days if he included today, and then on the ninth they would compete. Victor let out a nervous breath, locked his frame in Yuuri’s arms. 

And stepped on the one again. 

“Victor!”

“I’m sorry!” 


	8. Chapter 8

Victor was nothing, if not persistent. One did not become the lead of a ballet company without working hard after all. 

He stayed to practice with Yuuri for as long as he could, before he had to leave and go get ready for dinner with his family and whoever was invited to the table that evening. Victor didn’t pay much attention. He promptly ignored most of them as he ate his food as quickly as he could without being suspicious, and then slipped from the table with the excuse of meeting up with his friends. He wasn’t sure how long he would be able to keep up that line before his father demanded to meet these non-existing friends, but Victor would keep with it for as long as he was able to. It wasn’t as if he had anything else to offer at the moment. 

Mila had told him that the dance studios were never locked, and Victor made his way into the activity corridor, and after listening carefully as he passed the doors, opted to open the smaller one when he was sure no one was looking. He slipped in quietly, and locked the door behind him. It was dark, but there were windows on the wall to the far end, with a street light shining through them. It would have to do. 

He didn’t dare start any music, but toed his shoes off, and discarded his sweater beside them, before stepping up in front of the mirror. He rolled his shoulders, got his arms into position, and raised his head. He caught his own reflection in the mirror, and saw a smile forming on his lips. He couldn’t help but smile even wider, letting out a shaky breath, and moved. 

______________________________

“Good morning,” Victor greeted as he stepped into the old dance studio the next day, placing his things by the door. Yuuri looked up from where he was sitting on the floor with some papers in his lap, his dark gaze making Victor's stomach flip as it locked with his own. 

“Morning,” he said, and reached for the cup next to him to take a sip. “How are you feeling today? Sore?” 

“Not too bad,” Victor promised, stepping over to where Yuuri was sitting, unsure if he should sit too. “It’s more mental exhaustion I think, trying to rewire my brain.” 

“That’s fair,” Yuuri said with a chuckle, and then took another sip from his cup before he stood. “Do you think anything settled overnight?”

“I hope,” Victor said with a nod, shuffling a bit in place. “I did practice a little in the evening as well, just so you know… I need to get it.”

“You practiced after you left?” Yuuri asked, his eyes wide in surprise. Victor shuffled in place, feeling pinned under Yuuri’s gaze. Why was he so intense? Victor’s heart had a tendency to race when he was near him, and when he looked at Victor like that, it really wasn’t helping.

“Yes I wasn’t getting it, so I needed to practice more,” Victor pointed out, and something soft overcame Yuuri’s expression, causing the butterflies in Victor’s stomach to do somersaults.

“That’s very sweet of you, and stubborn,” he said, and Victor smiled, unable to stop himself. Getting praise from Yuuri seemed almost like getting praise from Lilia. Hard earned. “You’re really doing us such a favour.”

“It’s nothing,” Victor said with a shake of head, because really - he was being selfish here. He got to dance by helping Yuuri and the other dancers out. He wasn’t at all as kind as it was all made out to be. “I just wish I could get my body to hold the one.”

“Oh I bet your family loved listening to Mambo all evening as you practiced,” Yuuri said, and Victor bit down on his lower lip. Yuuri caught his expression in the mirror and frowned. 

“I- uhm,” Victor said, shuffling in place. “I didn’t tell them.”

“Oh,” Yuuri said, and then blinked. “Of course, yeah you can’t because of Sara and Anya, right? You think your father would tell Ivan?”

“Yeah I mean, he definitely would,” Victor agreed, feeling himself chicken out from actually explaining why he couldn’t practice in his hotel room. “I don’t want any of you to get in trouble. It’s why I’m helping out.”

“Right,” Yuuri agreed, and then put his cup and the papers on the box under the mirror, before stepping over to him. “Where did you practice then?”

“One of the dance studios at the complex,” Victor admitted, feeling himself itching to raise his hands and find himself in Yuuri’s grasp again. What a silly thing to feel. 

“Oh right, they’re not really used in the evenings,” Yuuri agreed with a nod. He stood so close now, but he wasn’t doing anything to indicate them starting to dance anytime soon. 

“Yes well, it was a bit hard since I couldn’t do it with the music or turn on the lights,” Victor admitted, feeling his cheeks flush a bit from the admittance. “I didn’t want to get caught, but I wanted to practise so it was the best solution.”

Yuuri looked at him for a moment, and then he raised his hand. Victor did as well, and took Yuuri’s offered hand in his, raising his other to place it on Yuuri’s shoulder. Yuuri’s hand came to rest just below his shoulder blade, and Victor fought the sucking in of a breath that he wanted to do. Yuuri’s hands on his body felt so intimate, even if they were standing almost a meter apart. 

“If you want,” Yuuri said, surprising Victor in not starting to count. “You could come back here and practice, in the evenings.”

Victor blinked in surprise and Yuuri straightened his posture, as if ready to dance. 

“Are you sure?” Victor asked, adjusting himself as well. “I don’t want to impose. You live here after all.” 

“There’s no trouble,” Yuuri assured him with a shake of head, and then held his gaze for a moment longer. “Only if you want to. Are you ready?”   
“Yes,” Victor agreed with a nod, and kept Yuuri’s gaze as he started to count, and they moved.

_________________________________

“Okay,” Yuuri said, smiling at Victor as he stepped up onto the dance floor on their third day of practicing. “Now we’re going to work on fluidity.”   
“What do you mean?” Victor asked with a frown. “I’m not fluid enough?”

They had continued to build from the basic steps the day before, and it seemed as though since Victor had gotten the basic back and forth down, the rest had come easier. They had practiced open box, crossover breaks, change of pace, swivels and a couple other moves that Victor couldn’t remember the names of but did remember the steps from, which was the most important part. Sara had come by in the afternoon, helped by Chris as he was on his way to his shift at the restaurant. She had looked tired, with her foot elevated and her hair up in a messy bun, but she had been a great help in cheering them on. She even helped Victor film them as they moved through the steps, so he could watch it in the evening. 

Victor skied back to the complex to eat in the evening, but snuck out afterwards to walk up to the old dance studio to practice. He called out for Yuuri as he entered, but didn’t get a response. Perhaps he was teaching a class, or was over at the other dancers’ cabins. Perhaps there was even another staff party. Victor pushed that thought down as soon as he could, since he could feel himself growing jealous by the thought of someone else in Yuuri’s arms, hips pressed together. It was stupid. Victor had no claim to Yuuri or who he danced with. 

He tried to move through the steps they had practiced, and even if it wasn’t the same without Yuuri guiding him, it went better than expected. Once he had to give up and head back, exhausted and with feet aching, he was very excited to see what Yuuri would throw at him the next day. 

He had not expected it to be fluidity. 

“I mean-” Yuuri said, and his cheeks flushed in a way that was unfairly charming. How dare he, really? “Mambo is a sexy dance.”

“And I’m not sexy?” Victor questioned, more as a joke than anything. He could see for himself how much more sensual Yuuri moved than he himself did. It was evident. Yuuri however, didn’t seem to grasp Victor’s teasing tone. He instead got even redder, his mouth opening a closing a few times before he managed to start talking. 

“Yes! Yes of course I just mean- I mean that uhm, the dance needs to be sexier, not you, you’re fine,” Yuuri said, and Victor had to hide his giggling behind his hand as it treated to spill out. This was a new side of Yuuri that he hadn’t seen before. He was usually so cool and collected. 

Yuuri seemed to catch the fact that Victor was in fact laughing at him, and groaned, looking up at the ceiling. Victor let a giggle spill from his lips, but he took mercy on Yuuri, and walked over with his hips swaying in a way he hoped was more fluid. 

Yuuri didn’t look very impressed.

“Fine, show me some of these sexy dance moves,” Victor said, and Yuuri rolled his eyes, but stepped up to meet him. His cheeks were still flushed, but his expression soon became less flustered. 

“Okay,” he said, and then moved Victor’s hands from their position raised in a Waltz grip to come around Yuuri’s neck instead. Victor’s heart did a flip in his chest, and then it raced, as Yuuri stepped up to him. This was much closer than the ‘this is my dance space, this is your dance space’ he had been pushing the first day. “So you have the dance steps down now, but now we need to move together.”   
“O-Okay,” Victor agreed, and Yuuri nodded, moving to put his hands on Victor’s sides. “Like-Like at the party?”

“No,” Yuuri said and shook his head. His hands felt warm on Victor’s hips and Victor had to concentrate really hard, not to let his entire being focus down to those touch points. “We won’t be that close, but the basics are the same in a way.”

Yuuri started counting, and then they started walking through the base steps. It felt almost natural now, moving in the two, three, four pace.    
“You need to roll your hips too,” Yuuri said, as they continued to move. As he did, Victor glanced down and saw Yuuri’s hips swaying in time with their steps. It looked so easy, so natural. “No, look up at me.”

Victor did, meeting Yuuri’s intense dark eyes. He licked his lips, and then he tried to roll his hips in time with their movement. He stumbled, but tried again. It didn’t feel right. He felt frustration build in his body from it, as he willed his body to cooperate. Yuuri looked down, and Victor felt extremely self-conscious about it all. He must look so stumbly.

“Try to,” Yuui started, looking back up at Victor. He paused their moving, and then he took a step back. “Let the stretch and bend of the knee guide the movement, like this.”

Yuuri rose to the ball of his feet on one foot, and then bent the knee. He moved through the motion of stretching the knee, as the other foot came up while fit first came down. It looked like magic. “You can’t just bend and stretch, you need to let the hip guide the movement.”

Victor reached his hands out, and Yuuri took them. He stood still though, and Victor took a deep breath, pushed up on one foot, and moved. 

Oh.

“Yes,” Yuuri said, and Victor looked up from where he had been staring at his feet and legs to look into Yuuri’s face. Yuuri was smiling widely, and his eyes were trained on Victor’s moving hips. “Good, just like that.”

“And then I move?” Victor asked, and Yuuri nodded, giving him leeway in his hands to do so. Victor nodded, and then stepped back with his right foot. He fumbled the first time, but he kept going through it, and soon it felt just as natural as it had been to do it without. 

“Keep going,” Yuuri said, his voice low. He moved closer, starting to step with him through the steps as he put Victor’s hands back around his neck. Victor took a deep breath, and kept his eyes locked with Yuuri as he felt Yuuri’s hands come back to his body, caressing down his sides to his hips, his voice just as low as before. “Good. Great Victor.” 

___________________________

Victor didn’t go to Yuuri’s in the evening, since his father demanded he stay to play cards with the company at the table instead. It was extremely frustrating. He was itching to practice more, to make sure he was ready the next day. He didn’t want to set them back without being prepared. They were on a tight schedule after all, and they hadn’t even started the choreography yet. 

He squirmed in his seat, and really couldn’t pay enough attention to the card game, meaning he lost fairly early. He didn’t really mind though. The only thing he minded was that he now had no distraction from his wandering mind, that continued to come back to that run down dance studio, and Yuuri’s hands on his body, guiding him through the steps. 

“Have you ever had trouble with theft at the university, Yakov?” Ivan asked as he placed a card on the table, and Victor glanced over, seeing his father shake his head. 

“No- We had a break in a long time ago, where they stole computers, but other than that I don’t think we have,” Yakov answered, watching as Georgi placed a card. “How so?”

“Well, there seems to be a wine thief in the staff,” Ivan said, and Victor’s eyes snapped to Anya without even thinking. Neither of the men seemed to notice though, which might have been for best, since Anya became pale as a sheet, before blood rushed to her cheeks. She didn’t seem to have noticed Victor’s reaction, but instead turned to her father. 

“What do you mean?” she asked, and Ivan hummed as Alan placed a card on the table. “I haven’t heard of this before.”

“Yes I should have told you,” Ivan said with a nod towards her. “It was just…a few days ago some wine bottles disappeared from the spa area. I thought it could have been a mishap. The boy working there, Seung Gil, he’s a decent person. A little stoic, but he’s never seemed like a trouble maker to me. I let it go, but then last night, more wine went missing, but this time from the bar.”

“Don’t you think it’s a counting error?” Anya asked, and Victor hated to admit it, but he sort of enjoyed seeing her squirm. “You know they can be careless counting.”

“You’re right,” Ivan said with a nod. “I will put it to rest, and then if it happens again I’ll have to investigate further.”

“Sounds like a good plan,” Alan agreed as he placed another card. “Don’t let it go too far however, you don’t want the staff to think it’s okay to get away with things like that.”

“True, that's a valuable insight,” Ivan agreed, and then Georgi placed a card on the table to win the game. The still playing members groaned but congratulated him, and Georgi grinned proudly, taking Anya’s hand from the table to kiss her knuckles.

“I had such a good luck charm,” he said, and Victor watched as she smiled towards him.

It didn’t reach her eyes. 


	9. Chapter 9

“Yuuri!” Victor called as he stepped into the hallway of the old dance studio, rushing through getting his jacket and shoes off. He hadn’t even put on skis today, but had walked from the complex to the small grove instead. Georgi had left before him this morning, and because of it, Victor didn’t need to pretend to have gone skiing. He had been so excited that he had forgotten his gloves, so his fingers were now freezing. 

It didn’t matter. Soon he would be dancing and warming up.

“Good morning,” Yuuri called, and Victor felt a wide smile spread on his face even before he reached the door. Soft music was coming through the opening, and Victor didn’t even stop as he entered, finding Yuuri already on the dance floor. “Sleep well?”

“Yes, pretty good,” Victor agreed with a nod, stepping up to him. He felt a longing to reach out and pull Yuuri into a hug, but stopped himself. Even with how much they had touched since they first met, they had never hugged, and Victor wasn’t sure if Yuuri would be okay with it. “I did want to come back here and practice in the evening, but my father wanted me to play cards with him so…”

“Oh, okay,” Yuuri said with a nod, shifting from foot to foot as he rubbed his neck sheepishly. “I mean it’s good to take time off too. I’m working you pretty hard here. It’s good for you to do something fun as well.”

“Yuuri,” Victor said, holding back a laugh. “Dancing with you is the most fun I’ve had in months.”

“What?” Yuuri asked, his eyes snapping up to him from the floor. Victor shook his head, and held up his arms in a Waltz position. 

“Are we dancing?” he asked, and Yuuri’s lips curled into a smile. He opened his arms as well, and Victor stepped close and placed his hand on Yuuri’s shoulder… well not really shoulder. Victor was too distracted by Yuuri’s eyes, and the way they looked as he smiled, so his hand slipped a little too close to Yuuri’s neck instead. 

“Yeah we’re- aaaah!” Yuuri cut himself off by shrieking, and recoiled back from Victor. Victor was left standing there with wide eyes, his arms still open as he blinked at Yuuri.

“What?” he asked in shock, and Yuuri blinked at him, his hand up by his neck where Victor’s fingers had brushed. Fear shot up Victor’s spine. Had he made Yuuri so uncomfortable by touching him? It hadn’t been his intention to. He never wanted Yuuri to feel like he overstepped.

“Why are you so cold?” Yuuri accused in a gasp, and Victor felt his eyes grow wide, before he laughed, the fear of having accidentally overstepped a boundary flowing off him. 

“Maybe you should watch it,” Victor said, taking a step forward towards him. Yuuri narrowed his eyes. “Or I’ll come and put my cold hands on your neck again.”

“You wouldn’t,” Yuuri said, almost dared. Victor felt a grin spread on his face, and then he took off. Yuuri shrieked again, and dashed to the side. Victor followed, and chased him as Yuuri laughed. Yuuri was quick, and Victor did his best to keep up to catch him, but he seemed to always be just out of reach. He had better stamina than Victor as well, and Yuuri smiled proudly as he danced away from Victor’s grip after a good three minutes of chase, as Victor had to stop and catch his breath. 

“We’ll I’m sure I’m warm now,” Victor said as he put his hands on his knees, sucking in breath in his lungs. Yuuri smiled and walked over, and Victor straightened as he felt less breathless. Yuuri reached out, and took Victor’s hands in his, and then brought them up to his mouth. Victor felt like the entire world stopped, as he watched Yuuri cup his hands around his own, and blew hot air on them.

“At least they are now,” he said in a low voice, and Victor’s heart raced so fast he was sure it was going to explode. For a moment they simply stood there, Victor’s hands in Yuuri’s, and their eyes locked. 

It was Yuuri who pulled back, clearing his throat as his hands left Victor's. Victor looked away from him for a moment, hoping to will his heart to calm. He was definitely warm now, even his cheeks burned. He looked back to Yuuri, who was moving to his phone connected to the stereo. The muscles in his back flexed as he walked, and Victor looked away. 

He was falling in way too deep. He knew he was. His feelings for Yuuri were well beyond mere interest at this point, and even if they hadn’t known each other for very long, he was crushing so hard on him it wasn’t even funny. 

Still, Yuuri was gorgeous, and charming, and Victor was sure many had fallen for him in the past. It didn’t mean anything. It didn’t mean Yuuri harboured feelings similar to his own. Victor was here to help him, and the other dancers, and he had to focus on that. He couldn’t let his feelings get him sidetracked. 

“So, I wanted to start teaching you the choreography today,” Yuuri said, and Victor snapped his attention back to him, feeling excitement fill his body. 

“Really?” he asked, and followed after Yuuri towards the mirror. Yuuri looked up from his phone and met his gaze in the mirror, smiling as he did. 

“Yeah, I think it’s about time, and I think you could handle it,” Yuuri said with a nod, putting his phone down and walking over to where Victor was waiting. 

“Okay so where do we start?” Victor asked, and Yuuri placed himself to his right. 

“So, I figured it was easiest to teach you the choreography me and Sara had been practicing, and then we’ll see if we need to tweak it to fit us or if something isn’t working, okay?” 

“Sounds good,” Victor agreed, and took Yuuri’s offered hand. 

“You’ll move your free hand out, like a stretch to the side,” Yuuri instructed, and Victor raised his right hand and did as told. “Good, now that’s going to be a preparation to spin into me, stopping with your back to my chest.”

“Like this?” Victor asked, and reached again, shifting the weight between his feet. Once he had reached out, Yuuri tugged on his hand, and Victor turned into him, coming to stop close to Yuuri’s chest. Yuuri’s hand curled around his hip, and Victor straightened in his hold.

“Good,” Yuuri praised, and Victor felt his voice just as much as he heard it, making goosebumps race down his spine. “Now, raise your left hand up and around my head.” Victor’s heart was rushing in his chest, but he did as told. He could feel Yuuri’s breaths ghosting over his skin as he did, and he couldn’t help but let his finger caress over the soft strands. Yuuri’s hand came up, and then caressed along his arm down to his other hip. 

It was a good thing Victor wasn’t ticklish. 

“Now you let your arm caress down along my neck, and then let it fall so you can grab this hand,” Yuuri said, squeezing Victor’s right hip. Victor nodded, and did as told. “Great. Did that feel okay?”

“Yeah,” Victor agreed, because it felt more than okay. “What happens next?”

“I’ll pull this hand,” Yuuri said, squeezing Victor’s fingers. “And I’ll push with my other hand on your hip, and you’ll twirl away from me and then I’ll pull you back, and we fall into a Waltz hold, and then do a few basic back and forth Mambo steps.”

“Okay, can we try that, and then do it all from the top?” Victor asked, and Yuuri nodded, before he started counting. 

_______________________ 

The next day when Victor came to the studio, Yuuri was nowhere to be seen. He called out, but there was no answer. Victor sighed, and looked around the room. He had been there the night before to practice, but he had hit a bit of a wall. It was hard to practice it without a partner, and while they hadn’t gone through all of the choreography, Victor felt confident enough in the parts they had gone through to know what came after what. What he needed was the opportunity to take the steps out fully, and he couldn’t do that without Yuuri. 

He looked at himself in the mirror, and adjusted his dance hotpants. He had found them deep in his suitcase as he rummaged about in it, and he couldn’t even remember packing them. He was running out of clothes suitable for dance practice, and he had been feeling frustrated by not being able to see his legs properly anyway, so this was good. 

He turned fully towards the mirror, and adjusted his ponytail. The croptop he had managed to dig out wasn’t really what he had been wearing to practice before either, but he didn’t have a washing machine here, so he was sort of running out of options. 

He straightened his posture, and almost without thinking he brought his legs together in first position. It felt like stepping into a second skin, and Victor smiled as he moved through the familiar motions of Lilia’s warm up. He only did one set, and then he couldn’t hold back. He moved into a familiar choreography. He let his body guide him, and while he didn’t kick his legs as high as he could or take out the movements fully, since he hadn’t warmed up properly, he couldn’t help but let himself go and indulge.

He came to a stop facing the mirror, his chest heaving and a wide smile on his face. He had missed it, so much. He adored the ballroom he was doing with Yuuri, but this was a comfort and nostalgia all rolled into one. 

“So when you said you had dance experience,” Yuuri said to the side, and Victor jumped, his head snapping over to the door that led down to Yuuri’s apartment. Yuuri was standing there, leaning against the doorframe. “You meant, actual dance experience.”

“Yuuri,” Victor said, feeling slightly breathless still. He wasn’t sure what to say to that. “Yeah I-”

“It’s a duet, isn’t it?” Yuuri asked, and Victor's eyes grew wide as he nodded. How did Yuuri know that? Yuuri hummed, and pushed off the door frame. “Dance it again?”

“Why?” Victor asked, and Yuuri smiled, but there was something off with it. It didn’t look the way Yuuri usually smiled. It almost looked sad. 

“Indulge me?” Yuuri asked softly, and Victor nodded, getting into position for the dance. Yuuri walked around him, and Victor moved into the choreography. When he turned to where he would usually find a partner, Yuuri was there, and moved with him. 

Realisation of what was happening rushed over Victor slowly, even with Yuuri’s hand in his own. Yuuri danced with him, knowing all the steps. It wasn’t perfect, but Victor could see the years of training in classical ballet Yuuri must have done to have lines like that. He was beautiful, graceful and melodic in his dancing. Just like he was in ballroom. 

The choreography came to a close, and they faced each other, both seeming to be slightly in awe over what had just happened. That had felt so natural, more so than Victor had ever experienced with a partner before. 

“Victor,” Yuuri said, shaking his head in disbelief. “Why are you here, and not out performing on all the big stages. You’re magnificent.” 

Victor’s stomach flipped from the compliment, as his heart sank. He squeezed Yuuri’s hand, and looked up into his eyes, not sure what he would say. Yuuri seemed to sense his emotional turmoil, or saw it in his face, because he stepped closer. “Did I say something wrong?” he asked, and Victor shook his head, and looked away. 

“No I-,” Victor answered, and then let out a slow breath. “I didn’t just agree to dance with you to help you. I haven’t been dancing for a couple of months, because I promised my father I wouldn’t… but I missed it so much Yuuri. It was unbearable.”

“Victor,” Yuuri said, his voice so pained. “Why would he want you to promise that? You’re clearly extremely talented.”

Victor wasn’t sure if he should tell him, but he found such comfort in Yuuri’s gaze, that he summoned the courage to speak.

“My mother, she’s a ballet dancer, and she and my father got divorced just a few months ago, and seeing dancing, or talking about it…it breaks his heart. I can see it,” Victor tried to explain. 

“What about your mom?” Yuuri asked, and Victor squeezed his hand again. He looked into Yuuri’s eyes, and hoped that he would understand. 

“Lilia’s not my birth mother. I- My biological mother died when I was three, and I don’t remember her. My father met Lilia when I was five, and they married when I was eight. As far as I can remember, she’s always been my mom,” Victor said, and Yuuri smiled and nodded.

“Of course she is,” Yuuri agreed, and it felt so nice for someone to say it, after months of it being denied. “And now your father doesn’t want you to dance?”

“I know it’s stupid,” Victor said with a shake of his head. “I’m an adult, but I live with him, and it’s so hard to come home every day to hear him rant about how wrong dance and dancers are, and he’s been so hurt and I didn’t want to add to it but…”

“You miss it?” Yuuri tried, and Victor nodded, biting into his lower lip. “I understand.”

“Yeah?” Victor asked, and Yuuri smiled, and reached out to caress a few stray hairs behind Victor’s ear. 

“I do,” Yuuri said, and he smiled so softly now. “I’m really glad you’ve offered to do this with me, for us.” 

“I’m so sorry I lied,” Victor rushed out and Yuuri let out a soft laugh. 

“You didn’t lie! You have nothing to be sorry about,” he said with a shake of head. Victor frowned, and dropped Yuuri’s gaze to look down at the floor. 

“I still feel selfish,” he mumbled, and Yuuri’s hand caressed down his cheek to his jaw, tipping his chin up. 

“You, spending days on end, putting in extremely hard work, to help a group that was basically strangers to you, so they can eat?” Yuuri said. “Even if you’re enjoying it, it’s not selfish.” 

“You’re too sweet,” Victor said, and Yuuri shook his head again, but let his hand fall from Victor’s face. 

“Thank you for telling me that,” he said, and then his other hand slipped from Victor’s as well. “This explains a lot actually, about the trouble with the one count, and the stiff hips.”

“I don’t have stiff hips!” Victor protested, and Yuuri smiled, wide and almost blinding. 

“We’re working on it,” Yuuri offered, and Victor grumbled, even though he really couldn’t be mad with Yuuri looking so cute. Seriously, how was it possible for someone to go from so seductive, to charming, to cute? It was beyond Victor. 

Yuuri was clearly full of surprises.

“Do you want to start with running through the choreography?” Yuuri asked, and Victor nodded, before he got into position, waiting for Yuuri to return to his side. Yuuri started the music, and then stepped over, taking Victor's hand in his own. Victor smiled, first to himself in the mirror, and then towards Yuuri.

He really loved this choreography so far.

________________________

“What are you wearing?” Sara asked that evening, laying on one of the couches in the dancers cabin, her hurt foot elevated. “Do you have something that’s performance worthy with you?”

Victor’s eyes grew wide, and he looked over at Yuuri, who looked equally put on the spot by the question. Shit.

“I had totally forgotten about that,” Yuuri said with a sigh, that then became a groan. “I have no idea!”

Victor was curled up in one of the armchairs, with a plate of chocolate cake in his hands. Phichit had come bursting into their practice, just as they were doing their final run through of the dance for the day, demanding they both come to the cabin to eat. Victor had to go have dinner with his family of course, but had promised to come after. Now he was here, hanging out with some of the dancers. Yuuri was in the chair beside him, nursing a cup of tea. Mila was there, as well as Leo and Guang Hong. They had just started discussing the competition, and while they were making good progress on the dancing, at least Victor thought so, he had not spared a single thought to what he was going to wear for it.

“Uhm, I have a suit. It’s kind of stiff though, I don’t think it would work,” Victor admitted as he considered the dance steps. He would probably tear a seam. He looked around the room, and saw everyone looking equally contemplating. 

“Well, someone, has to have something he could wear right?” Leo asked. “I mean, I have a few things, am I closest in size?”

“Oh!” Mila exclaimed, and everyone turned to her with wide eyes, as she turned fully to Phichit. “I have that- you know that dress thing that came back wrong!”

“What?” Phichit asked, and Mila pushed up from her chair in such a rush it almost fell back. “Which dress, have you used it for one of our performances?” 

“No, it’s the one where the seamstress didn’t get all the measurements, and didn’t account for me having boobs, and then wouldn’t fix it,” Mila said, and then rushed to the hallway. “I have it in my cabin, I’ll go get it!” The door slammed shut, and everyone looked at each other with wide eyes. 

“Did you have any idea what she was talking about?” Yuuri asked, turned towards Phichit, and Phichit laughed, shaking his head. 

“No? I don’t think so,” he said, a frown forming between his brows. “I don’t remember us having costume problems over the regular, nothing about an entire dress being wrong.”

“No, I think I do though,” Guang Hong said, frowning as he seemed to consider. He wasn’t given the opportunity to elaborate however, because Mila burst back into the room, a garment bag slung over her arm. 

“Found it!” she cheered, and then walked over to Victor to grab his arm. “Come with me!”

“But cake!” Victor protested, but had to hastily give the plate over to Yuuri, before he was tugged into Sara’s room. Mila shut the door behind them and hung the garment bag over the wardrobe and opened it. 

“Here it is!” she said proudly, and Victor peered inside curiously, and Mila pulled the black garment out carefully. “I think it would be perfect for you.”

“It’s beautiful,” Victor said, his heart beating a little quicker as he ran his hands over it. Mila smiled as he looked over. 

“Let’s see if it fits,” she said with excitement filling her voice, and pulled the costume off the hanger. 

The garment was unlike anything Victor had ever worn before. It had a black tight top piece, with a high collar. The chest and back had cut out parts over in mesh, giving a glimpse of skin from the hip and up, climbing over his shoulder and continuing down the right arm. The left arm was in black fabric, running all the way down to his wrists. Silver crystals were sewn into it, up his right shoulder and around his hips. On his right side, there was a half skirt, in black but with red lining, reaching all the way down to his ankle. Under it, were a pair of tight pants in a stretchy fabric, giving him full ability to move. 

It fit perfectly. 

“Wow,” Mila said, and grinned widely. “Victor! How do you feel?”

“It’s beautiful,” he said, running his hands over it as he looked at himself in the mirror. “I can’t believe it fit.”

“It’s sexy too,” Mila chirped. “Let’s show the others, it’s the best part!” She took his hand again, and before Victor even had time to register it she pulled him out of the living room again, twirling him around before stopping him to face the crowd. “Tada!” 

All eyes turned to him, and Victor felt his cheeks heat, as he locked eyes with Yuuri. His eyes grew wide, and Victor’s stomach flipped, as a blush rose on Yuuri’s cheeks. 

“Wow,” he breathed, and Victor’s heart flipped in his chest.

That was the best reaction he could have ever gotten. 

  
  



	10. Chapter 10

Victor was rushing out of the complex the next morning, excited to continue to work on the choreography with Yuuri. He had forgone ski’s today as well, and was walking with purpose towards the old dance studio. He had missed Yuuri from the second he had stepped out from Sara and Phichit’s cabin last night after the costume fitting, and he longed to be in Yuuri’s company again. It was strange, but Victor found himself searching for Yuuri even when he knew he wouldn’t be there. It was as if he had gotten used to having him close most hours of his days, after five days of dancing together. 

He had just stepped off the part where one put on skis, and started ascending the hill, when someone cut him off by skating in front of him. He yelped in surprise, and took a startled step back, his face snapping up in shock, coming face to face with Anya. 

“What are you doing?” he asked, a little breathless. Anya narrowed her eyes at him, and leaned forward. Victor took another step back. He didn’t like people getting too close, especially wine stealing hotel heiresses who left dancers hurt on the spa floor in the middle of the night. “You almost hit me!”

“Where are you going?” she asked, straightening her posture. “You’re not even wearing skis.”

“It’s none of your business where I’m going,” Victor pointed out, and Anya narrowed her eyes at him again. It was clear she was used to getting her way, but Victor held no respect for her, and had no reason to back down. 

“It is! Your father has asked me to take care of you and Georgi, but for the past five days you’ve been nowhere to be seen through the day. This is the sixth day you won’t ski with us. We haven’t even seen you on the slopes with this group of friends you claim to have,” she said sharply. Victor raised an eyebrow at her, and crossed his arms over his chest. 

“I would think you would enjoy spending so much time alone with my brother, since you’re flirting so blatantly with him,” Victor said, and Anya rolled her eyes. “Or is it perhaps that I was a good buffer, and now you have nothing to hide behind… since you don’t really mean anything with your flirting.”

“What are you talking about?” Anya snapped, and Victor sucked his cheek into his mouth, levelling her with a blank stare. 

“I’m talking about how I think you have other people you’re more interested in,” Victor started, and then stepped around her to get to the other side, making her twist to keep looking at him. “People that you try to lift in the spa area after stealing wine, and leave there alone and helpless, and break up with by text, saying ‘it was fun while it lasted’.”

As he spoke, Anya grew paler and paler, and Victor held back on his triumphant smile, scolding his expression to keep as neutral as he could. 

“How do you know that?” she breathed, and Victor shrugged. “Victor, tell me who told you that!”

“Maybe you’re not as subtle as you would like to think you are,” Victor said, and Anya still looked completely shellshocked. “Perhaps you should try to work on that, and stop worrying where I am all day.” 

He turned to take a step away, and Anya called out after him. Vicor didn’t stop however. He had said all he wanted to at this moment, without exposing Sara or the other dancers - or at least he hoped he hadn’t. He walked down towards the village instead of straight to Yuuri in the hopes of shaking her off, and because of it he was late in arriving. He hurried up the stairs, and flung the door open with a bang. 

“Hi!” Yuuri called from inside, and Victor greeted him back breathlessly, flinging off his shoes and jacket in a disarray, hurrying to the door.

“I’m sorry!” he said once he reached it, and Yuuri looked at him from where he was on the dance floor. His eyes dropped to Victor’s body, but Victor barely registered it. “Anya came to find me just as I was about to walk over here, so I had to take a detour.” 

“Anya?” Yuuri asked, and stepped closer. “What did she want?”

“She wanted to know what I was doing all day when I wasn’t skiing with her,” Victor explained, and Yuuri’s eyebrows rose. 

“What did you say?” Yuuri asked, and Victor couldn’t help the smile that spread on his face. He was perhaps a bit too proud over having had the opportunity to call Anya out on behaving horribly to people. 

“I told her she should focus on not getting caught stealing wine and harming dancers in the spa, instead of what I was up to,” he said, and Yuuri’s mouth fell open in shock, and then spread into a wide smile. 

“You didn’t,” he said, and Victor nodded as he bit into his lower lip, grinning widely. Yuuri laughed, and shook his head, even as his eyes gleamed. He was so pretty when he smiled. 

“You’re amazing,” he said, and Victor’s heart fluttered in his chest from it. “Thank you for doing that. I’ve been longing to call her out, but I can’t afford to lose this job really so…”

“No problem,” Victor said with a shake of his head. “I was very happy to do it. She looked like her entire world was falling apart.” 

“Good,” Yuuri said with a sigh, and then a frown appeared between his brows. His gaze dropped to Victor's body again, and this time Victor looked down too. Oh right. “What are you wearing?”

Victor had promptly run out of dance clothes, and the only thing he had found that didn’t smell like sweat or that wasn’t dancing appropriate, was a far too big sweatshirt and a pair of thermal tights. They were too tight to dance in really, but Victor didn’t have much choice. 

“Ehm, I might have run out of things to wear,” he admitted, and Yuuri looked up to meet his eyes, and then laughed. 

“Oh!” he said, and shook his head. “I mean, I’m sure we could wash your clothes in the staff facilities if you want? Or can you move in that?”

“Ehm, not really,” Victor had to admit, rubbing his neck sheepishly. Yuuri chuckled, and reached out, Victor took his hand on impulse, his stomach filling with butterflies as he did.

“Come then, I’m sure I have something you can borrow,” Yuuri said, and Victor felt the butterflies in his stomach do flips at the thought of wearing Yurui’s clothes. He followed Yuuri through the dance studio, and then down into the apartment on the ground floor. 

“Are you sure? I don’t want to be a bother,” Victor said, and Yuuri shook his head, assuring him that he wasn’t. Yuuri’s hand was warm in his and Victor wanted to hold onto it, even as they reached the foot of the stairs. He let it slip from his grip when Yuuri let go however, and let out a slow breath as he came to a stop in the living room. 

“Hold on, I’ll grab something,” Yuuri said, and then disappeared into the bedroom. Victor shuffled in place, unsure of what to do as he waited. Should he start undressing? That would be sort of weird probably. Yuuri might be very uncomfortable with that but at the same time, he was a dancer too. Victor had seen countless bodies through the years, of people changing in crowded wings of a theater, or in shared dressing rooms. Surely Yuuri had similar experiences. 

He didn’t manage to make a decision before Yuuri came back however, smiling with a blush rising on his cheeks as he handed a bundle of dark clothes over. 

“Here,” he said, and stepped back as Victor took them. “I hope they’ll fit alright.”

“Thank you so much, I’m sure they’ll be better than this,” Victor said as he gestured to his own clothing, and Yuuri smiled with a nod. 

“I’ll just head up, and you can come up once you’re done,” he said, and Victor nodded, unfolding the clothes as he waited until Yuuri had reached the top of the stairs. Only then did he shrug out of his old clothing, and pulled on the borrowed pair of yoga pants and black teeshirt. The shirt was a bit big, so Victor tied it up to the side. It became almost like a crop top that way, and he deemed it dance viable, and hurried up the stairs. 

Yuuri had already started the music for the choreography, and Victor stepped right towards him, eager to start. They had lost so much time already because of all the interruptions today. Their time was quickly spilling through their fingers, and the competition was approaching far too quickly. 

“They fit perfectly, thank you,” Victor said, and Yuuri looked over at him as he approached. His eyes widened behind his glasses, and Victor felt himself blush under his attention. It was a similar expression as he had the night before, as Victor tried the costume on. 

What was it about Yuuri, that made Victor so weak for him?

“Good, good,” Yuuri said, with a nod, and he took Victor’s offered hand as Victor reached out for it, getting them ready for the start of the choreography. “You look good.”

“Thank you,” Victor said, biting into his lower lip. “You look good too.”

“What?” Yuuri said, blinking rapidly behind his blue frames, looking surprised. Victor let out a soft laugh, and shook his head as he squeezed Yuuri’s hand. 

“Yuuri, you’re very attractive,” Victor pointed out. “You must know this.”

“I don’t. I’m not,” Yuuri said, and Victor looked back at him, tilting his head to the side in confusion. 

“I’m sorry?” Victor asked. Was Yuuri really serious? Had he never looked into a mirror? Didn’t he notice how people acted around him - getting all flustered and flushed? Victor had noticed, both at the opening ball and the staff party. Yuuri must too, right?

“I-” Yuuri said, and then kept his gaze for a moment. “It’s nothing, don’t mind me.”

Victor didn’t really want to let it go, but he didn’t want to make Yuuri uncomfortable either so he nodded, and then looked into the mirror, catching Yuuri’s gaze there. 

“Okay,” he agreed, and Yuuri seemed to relax a bit, squeezing Victor’s hand in his grip. It was such a sweet thing to do, and Victor squeezed back. 

“Are we dancing now?” Yuuri asked, and Victor felt a grin spread on his face.

______________________________

“Isn’t this a very, very bad idea?” Victor asked on the evening of the seventh day, and Yuuri hushed him, his steps light as he led Victor down the stairs to the spa area. “I feel like the spa might be bad luck at this point.”

“This is a great idea,” Yuuri said with a nod, using a keycard to open the door, and then he let Victor inside before stepping in himself, making sure to close the door firmly behind him. “We have to practice the lift.”

“I told you, I have been lifted before,” Victor said, and Yuuri gave him a stern look. It made Victor’s stomach all fluttery when Yuuri got determined. Maybe he should be bratty from time to time, just to get to see it.

“I told you, we don’t have spotters so I have to make sure you’re safe as we practice,” Yuuri pointed out, and yeah he had said that. It was why they were sneaking in here in the first place. It was late, and the spa was closed for the guests, and Yuuri had told him that practicing the overhead lift in the water would be much safer than the old dance studio. It made sense, but Victor had never done it like that before. Usually, there would be other dancers or choreographers there to help guide the movement, but the other dancers were practicing for the show, so it was only them. 

“Won’t the water make me slippery?” Victor asked teasingly, but still followed Yuuri through the spa. He hadn’t been here before, and he looked around curiously. It was very pretty in there, with sandy stones on the floor and walls, and the light dimmed, making the still water in the pools gleam. 

“Don’t worry, I’m strong,” Yuuri said, and yeah he was definitely teasing Victor back now. Victor couldn’t help but let out a giggle, and then came to a stop next to Yuuri by the side of what seemed to be the largest pool. 

“Good, you’ll catch me if I fall then,” Victor said, and Yuuri nodded, reaching for the hem of his shirt. Victor snapped his eyes away, and tried and failed in not being extremely aware of Yuuri having started to undress beside him. 

“Of course I will,” Yuuri said by his side, and Victor looked over, seeing Yuuri’s toned exposed chest. He was in only his boxers, and he looked extremely good. Victor wanted to run his hands down his sides, and kiss the skin of his chest and his stomach and his thighs and… Victor tried very hard to push the thoughts away, as Yuuri started stepping into the water. Luckily, Yuuri seemed unaware of Victor's horrible pining. 

Victor watched, his heart racing as Yuuri jumped into the water fully, only to come up to the surface again after just a moment. Yuuri pushed his hair back, and Victor was reminded of that Yuuri, the one from the opening ball… and the one that had grabbed him and ground their hips together at the staff party. His body filled with jitters, and he let out a soft breath, as Yuuri smirked. 

“Take off your clothes,“ Yuuri said, and Victor felt himself flush even more. Yuuri’s smirk grew, and Victor narrowed his eyes at him. Yuuri was such a tease. He surely knew exactly what he was doing to Victor’s poor heart, being such a seducer, saying suggestive things. 

“We’ve only been dancing together for seven days, don’t you think it’s a little early to be so suggestive, Mr. Katuski,” Victor pointed out, reaching for his own shirt to pull it over his head. Yuuri laughed, and Victor shook his head, discarding the shirt to the side.

They had spent the night before washing Victor’s dancing clothes, after Victor had finished the regular dinner with his family. Yuuri had helped him with the staff washing machine, and kept him company as they waited for it to finish. Afterwards, they had them up hung to dry in the dance studio overnight. It had been nice, washing clothes and then hanging them with Yuuri. They had eaten a late dinner as well, as the hour grew late, and once it got time for bed - Victor didn’t want to go.

Silly, silly crush. 

“I am already undressed,” Yuuri pointed out, and yeah as if Victor wasn’t incredibly aware of that. “I think it’s only fair that you would be too.”

“Yeah yeah,” Victor said, pushing his sweatpants off and leaving them with his shirt as well. He stepped into the water afterwards, happy to have put on a pair of bigger underwear than the tiny breeches he usually wore. The water was warm as it enveloped him, and Victor soon jumped into it to soak himself properly, swimming around Yuuri underwater as he did. He pushed his finger into Yuuri’s side, and even from underwater he could hear him shriek. 

Victor pushed out from under the water with a grin, and Yuuri shook his head at him, sending a splash of water Victor’s way. 

“Hey!” Victor said, and Yuuri laughed, before reaching out to take his hand. 

“Okay, we need to focus,” Yuuri said, and Victor nodded. They were running out of time, and they both knew it. “Only two more days of practice.”

“Yeah,” Victor agreed, trying to push down the nerves he felt when thinking about that. He took a deep breath, and met Yuuri’s eyes. Yuuri smiled, a comforting reassurance. He had been so patient with Victor, it was really astonishing. Victor shifted so he was standing in front of Yuuri, facing him fully. Yuuri put his hands on Victor’s hips under the water, and Victor put his hands on Yuuri’s shoulders, just like they had practiced before coming down here.

“Ready?” Yuuri asked, and Victor nodded. “I’m going to count to three, and then we go up. Remember to bend your knees, and then to tense your body.”

“Yes,” Victor agreed, and rolled his shoulders back. “I’m ready.”

“Okay,” Yuuri said, and looked into his eyes as he nodded. “One, two,” he bent his knees, and Victor did too, getting himself ready. “Three.”

Yuuri was so strong. Victor pushed off from the bottom of the pool like a jump, and Yuuri raised him over his head as if he was nothing. Victor tensed himself, and kept his gaze on a point at the wall, right over a painting. 

“Good, good,” Yuuri said, and Victor smiled for a moment. It felt amazing, almost like being weightless… but then Victor could feel his weight starting to tip over too far forward. He tried to correct himself, but it was too late. A soft shout left his lips, and Yuuri leaned backwards, giving him the opportunity to dive down smoothly. Water rushed past him, and Victor turned in it quickly, coming up to face Yuuri. 

“Oh my god,” he gasped as he pushed his hair from his face. “That was something.” 

“Yeah?” Yuuri chuckled, and Victor laughed at himself. Yuuri’s hands found his waist and pulled him close, and Victor let his hands come to touch his bare skin under the water as a response. It felt like the most natural thing in the world, to wrap himself around Yuuri underwater, and hold on tight. Yuuri turned them back in the water, and Victor tried hard to calm his racing heart from their closeness. 

“That was good,” Yuuri said in that low voice that always made Victor shiver, and he nodded in agreement. “Again?”

“Yeah,” Victor agreed, detangling himself from Yuuri’s grip to put his feet on the pool floor. “Any tips on how not to overbalance?”

“You have to keep your center tight, and trust me to hold you,” Yuuri said, and Victor nodded, clenching his hand to stop himself from caressing the drops away from Yuuri’s cheek. 

“I trust you,” he said, perhaps a bit too earnestly. Yuuri sucked in a breath, which Victor felt more than saw, and nodded. 

“Good,” Yuuri said, and then settled into the stance to lift again. “Ready?”

Victor agreed, and couldn’t stop himself from caressing his hands up from Yuuri’s chest to his strong shoulders. “Ready,” he confirmed. 

“One, two, three,” Yuuri nodded, and then Victor jumped up out of the water again, as Yuuri raised him in the air. 


	11. Chapter 11

They were at the end of their final day of practice, and things were definitely starting to set into their bones in terms of choreography. Victor was starting to know Yuuri. Know where he was going to be and how he moved when things didn’t go exactly as planned. Yuuri had started learning his quirks too, since he was always there to match Victor's steps when he took one too long or doubted his direction. It was good. It wasn’t perfect, but there wasn’t that much more they could do. They would be able to run through it a few times tomorrow, and then they would take Yuuri’s car to the competition. 

Nerves exploded through Victor’s body at the thought of it, and he had to try to push it down into the pit of his stomach. There were so many components that could go wrong, and Victor desperately wanted to rise above it all. He wanted to be able to help his new friends, and Yuuri especially, but he wasn’t sure he would be able to. They had only been dancing together for a little over a week, and really, other couples danced together for years, and practiced their choreographies for months before the competition. 

This wasn’t just for fun either. The victory money was the difference if the dance group would have to take stray jobs to make up for the lack of work in the months between working at the Catskills and the summer camp jobs and tours they did in the warmer months. It was the difference between turning every coin to get to eat and keep a roof over their heads, and being able to eat actual food and renting an actual room for all of them. 

Victor would be lying if he said he wasn’t feeling the crushing pressure from it all. 

Yuuri had told him about it, as they sat in the staff laundry room and waited for his dance clothes to be done in the machine a couple of nights ago, of the April through June, and September through October, and the puzzling to pull through. 

“It’s always a struggle,” he said, leaned against the wall. Victor was sitting on the folding bench on the other side of the small room, braiding his long hair over his shoulder. “We love this life, being able to live on dancing… but during those months it’s hard not to wonder if it’s worth it.”

“Is it? I mean, with how Ivan treats you and…” Victor trailed off, and Yuuri had tilted his head to the side, a frown forming on his face. 

“What do you mean?” he asked, and Victor had looked down, and admitted about having seen the staff meeting on his first day. Realisation flooded Yuuri’s expression, and he nodded, a contemplating expression on his face. 

“I wouldn't say it’s ideal,” he said with a chuckle. “The places we dance at during the summer are definitely better in terms of treating us more kindly. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not like being the prima or anything,” he laughed, and Victor smiled and shook his head. Victor knew all about how premiere dancers were treated. After all, he had grown up with one. 

“Yeah, they get spoiled to no end,” Victor had said, and Yuuri nodded in agreement. Victor wanted to ask him how he knew, but he didn’t dare too. Yuuri was so hard to read, and he didn’t want him to retreat back into his shell. He wanted desperately to know him.

“Ivan is a real jerk, and his daughter is as well, clearly,” Yuuri continued, looking into Victor’s eyes. “I don’t think we’ll come back here next year, with how things went down with Sara and all… but we rarely deal with Ivan luckily. It’s the staff meetings of course, but there are other people that are responsible for staff and for the entertainment. They’re much better, and they treat us fairly.”

“That’s good,” Victor said, kicking his legs out. “Where would you go next winter, if not here?”

Yuuri had smiled, and shrugged. “I don’t know… Phichit always figures it out.”

Victor had thought a lot about it ever since that conversation, in the few moments his head wasn’t filled with the dance routine, lying to his father, or the way Yuuri’s hands had felt on his body in the pool. It gnawed at him, as he had laid in bed the night before, unable to fall asleep. 

Could he live like that?

Could he give up his college studies, and perhaps sever his relationship with his father, for dance? What would Lilia say, if he instead of coming back to the dance company became a travelling Mambo dancer? She would probably be very disappointed. 

What did Victor want? Was he allowed to consider that? Either way he decided, he would be letting someone down. Lilia wanted him to pause his education to focus solely on ballet, Yakov wanted to invest fully in his studies, to preferably get at least a PhD, and Victor wasn’t sure what he wanted to do. All that lingered in his mind was the way it felt to be in Yuuri’s arms, dancing.

He had fallen asleep before he had managed to come to any deeper realisation.

Now, he was there, in Yuuri’s arms, and the music was flowing through him as they moved. It was dark outside of the window, and Victor would have to leave soon so not to be late to dinner, but he didn’t want to go. “One more time,” he kept asking, and Yuuri would look at him with his dark eyes that made Victor feel more than he could express, and then move them into the first position once more. 

A few transitions were still stiff, and Victor still got scared before doing the major lift. It was fine though, he trusted Yuuri in lifting him and keeping him safe. He was just scared to mess it up. It was one of the few moves where Yuuri couldn’t save him by his solid leading, and Victor would hate to mess it up. He wished they had more time… a week more, or a month, or just one extra day, but life didn’t work like that. 

They came to a stop at the final pose, Victor in Yuuri’s arms, lifted in the air with his hands over his head, but his eyes locked with Yuuri’s. His head raced, even more so when Yuuri slowly lowered him to the floor. They stayed like that, Yuuri’s hands on Victor’s waist while neither of them said anything. 

“You need to get back now,” Yuuri pointed out, and Victor nodded, his gaze dropping to Yuuri’s lips for a moment, before he looked back up, hoping Yuuri hadn’t noticed. 

“Yeah, I- I guess I do,” he said with a nod. Yuuri’s hands slipped from his body, and Victor wanted to step with him as he took a step backwards, and ask him to touch him again. It was so stupid. They had spent the entire day touching after all. Yuuri must be sick of it by now. 

“So, any plans for the evening?” Yuuri asked after clearing his throat, turning away to the stereo to turn off the music that went on repeat as they danced. He wasn’t looking at Victor anymore, and Victor pushed down the impulse to ask him to do so. He always felt so seen under Yuuri’s gaze, and he wanted to feel it now. Instead he walked over to the door opening, and grabbed his shoes and started pulling them on. 

“No, not really… I might come back to practice, if it’s okay?” he asked, and Yuuri nodded, still not looking up at him. 

“You’re always welcome to come here,” he said, and Victor’s body filled with jitters from it. 

“Okay,” Victor said softly, and then grabbed his ski jacket, and pulled it on. He paused, unsure of what to say. “I might see you later then, if you’re not away?”

Yuuri had never been there when Victor had come to practice in the evenings, but he had never asked where Yuuri went. Perhaps he spent time with the other dancers, like they had that evening when Mila had helped Victor with the costume. 

“I- uhm,” Yuuri said, and he finally looked up, meeting Victor’s gaze. “There’s a staff party tonight…”

“Oh, so you’ll be there then?” Victor asked, and Yuuri nodded. Victor felt a pang of disappointment in his chest, but forced a smile onto his face. “Have fun!”

“I won’t be late though,” Yuuri assured him, and Victor nodded, looking down at the sleeves of his jacket. “I would love for you to come… if you want to?”

Victor snapped his face up, and was met with Yuuri’s sincere expression. He blinked, and the disappointment slowly ebbed away in favour of excitement. He bit back his smile, and nodded. 

“Yeah, that would be fun, if it’s okay?” Victor asked, and Yuuri took a step towards him, a smile spreading on his face. 

“Yes, I know everyone would be happy to see you, Mila keeps gushing about you and Sara’s so grateful for everything you’ve done for us… and you know Phichit would love to see you too,” Yuuri said, and then took another step closer. “I would too.”

“Okay, I’ll do my best to stop by,” Victor said, and Yuuri smiled, bright and in that way that made all of Victor’s insides turn into mush. 

_______________________________

The dinner went by like most others had. The only exception for the last few days had been Anya’s glares thrown his way. She didn’t seem to get much opportunity to do so however, since Georgi kept her occupied with calling for her attention. Victor still couldn’t figure out if Anya was being genuine or not with his brother, but he was very happy for the disruption of her glares. 

He managed to excuse himself at a fairly decent time, and even if it was a little later than usual, he didn’t deem it too late to go to the party. He hurried up to change, deciding that a crop top and high waisted jeans would fit the outfits he had seen at the last staff party he had ended up at. He pulled his jacket on, and rushed out of the room and down to the lobby and into the night. 

There was a bit of a walk to the cabin where the staff party was held, but it was much easier to walk there without carrying a Christmas tree. He could hear the music as he approached, and he hurried his steps as excitement filled his body. He opened the door, and warmth flooded out from the house, enveloping him as he stepped in. He hung off his thick winter coat, and made sure to adjust his hair as he passed a mirror. He had gone for having it out tonight, with just a couple of braids keeping the front off his face. He looked alright he felt, and hopefully he wouldn’t stick out as much as he had last time. 

He stepped into the room, and just like last time the dancing was in full swing in the middle of the floor. He didn’t see anyone he knew immediately, and because of it decided to circle the room at one of the edges, so not to disturb the grinding couples. He spotted Yuuko and Takeshi as he did, but they seemed far too occupied with dancing however, so he decided not to bother them. 

He made his way to the refreshments table, and while there he grabbed a water bottle, and leaned back. He wasn’t fully sure what to make of himself now that he was there. He greeted a few people that caught his eyes, but he didn’t really know any of them well enough to strike up a conversation. 

They also weren’t the person Victor actually wanted to see.

“Hi,” someone said to his side, and Victor looked over, seeing a man he hadn’t seen before standing beside him. He was fairly tall, with light brown hair and a smirk on his face. There was a cut in his right eyebrow, and he leaned in a little too close to Victor as he seemed to look him over. “I haven’t seen you before. You here all alone?”

“I- uhm,” Victor said, and looked away, unsure of what to say. “No.”

“He’s here with me,” Yuuri’s voice came from his other side, and Victor immediately turned to him, feeling relief flood his system. Yuuri had his hair slicked back, and his glasses off. It felt slightly odd, since Victor had gotten used to his soft look by now. Still, his eyes were just the same, and Victor felt great comfort in seeing him. 

“Oh, hi Yuuri,” the man said, and Victor looked from Yuuri to him again, seeing a smile curl on his face. “I didn’t know you were here. You’re usually all hidden away on the other side of the slope.”

“I just got here,” Yuuri said, and Victor felt Yuuri’s hand curl around his waist. He shivered, and leaned into him almost on impulse. Victor felt Yuuri’s breath dance over his neck, and he desperately wanted to turn his head and kiss him. 

His crush was really running away from him.

“Yes, I’m here with Yuuri,” Victor confirmed, and Yuuri squeezed his hip. 

“Do you want to dance?” Yuuri whispered into his ear, and Victor did turn to him then, the stranger forgotten. He met Yuuri’s dark eyes, and he nodded, not trusting his voice not to waver. His heart raced, as Yuuri’s hand slipped from his waist to grab his hand instead, and lead him onto the dance floor. 

Victor felt an odd sense of deja vu as they walked between the grinding couples. It was so similar to the other time they had done this, and still so different. They had danced countless hours together by now, but this was different. The Mambo had rules, and sure steps, but in here it was all feeling, all indulgence. 

Yuuri came to a stop, and then he twirled Victor out in the small space he had placed them in, and then back into him. Victor gasped as their bodies met, and decided to let go, and do what his body told him too, what felt right. His hands landed on Yuuri’s chest, and he caressed down as he snaked his body from side to side as he lowered himself as low as he could. Yuuri watched with that heavy gaze, and Victor moved the same way up, slinging his arms around Yuuri’s shoulders.

He expected Yuuri to tease him, but he didn’t. Instead he grabbed his hips, and pulled them flush together. It felt perfect, as Yuuri’s leg slotted between his own, and they started to grind together. It felt so right here, in Yuuri’s arms, and Victor let himself go, his hand wandering into the strands of hair at the nape of Yuuri’s neck. 

He could feel Yuuri’s breath ghost over his skin, and he closed his eyes, and swayed along with Yuuri’s guidance. Yuuri shifted, leaning Victor back into a low dip, and Victor followed, keeping one hand on Yuuri’s neck as he let the other fall to the side. He arched as far back as he could, sure Yuuri would support him. 

Yuuri swayed them, and then pulled Victor back up to his chest again. Victor rolled his hips, and Yuuri matched his movement, his hands caressing up Victor’s back as Victor’s moved down his front. A new sensation started stirring in Victor’s gut, something hot and heavy. Yuuri’s hands came to cup his cheeks, and Victor looked into his eyes. Yuuri’s thumb caressed over his lower lip, but it was just a ghost of a sensation, before Yuuri’s hands started travelling again. The feeling grew, and Victor chased it, longing for more.

Victor was going to grow addicted to Yuuri’s hand on him. He wasn’t sure how he would ever be able to go back to not having them caress over his body. Victor gripped his hips tightly, and ground their hips together tighter. Yuuri let out a gasp, and  _ wow _ that made Victor’s stomach flip. 

Yuuri’s hands had come down his back to Victor’s hips now, and Victor moved his hands up to Yuuri’s chest again, his right hand continuing up to his neck. Yuuri’s hand moved down his left leg, and Victor rose it, curling it around Yuuri’s hip just slightly. Yuuri’s hand was firmly on his waist, and Victor used one of the moves in the choreography, putting his hands up to twist his torso back and forth, his hair swirling around him as he did. 

He wasn’t sure how many songs they danced together, bodies pressed together tightly, much closer than they had ever been as they practiced. Victor’s heart raced through it all, and he never wanted it to stop. Realisation fell over him slowly. This was arousal. He had never felt it like this before, for another person. Never before had he wanted someone’s touch so badly, as he wanted Yuuri’s. He tucked his face close to Yuuri’s neck, and longed to run his lips up Yuuri’s sweat damp skin. He wondered what Yuuri would sound like, in pleasure. He longed to know. He didn’t dare to press his lips to Yuuri’s skin, but instead closed his eyes and allowed himself to simply feel, as the final notes of the song playing rang out. 

He didn’t know why, but somehow he knew it would be the last one. 

“It’s time to get to bed,” Yuuri said, and Victor pulled himself from where his head was resting, looking up into Yuuri’s eyes. They were still standing close together, bodies pressed against each other. “Big day tomorrow.”

“Yeah,” Victor agreed, and bit back the question of Yuuri taking him with him to his bed. He was sure he wouldn’t be able to handle the rejection, with all of these new feelings coursing through his body. “Big day.”

Yuuri nodded, and then pulled away from him. They walked into the hallway, and pulled on their jackets in silence, before stepping out into the cold dark night. It was almost unbearably silent as they walked, but Victor didn’t know what to say. There were too many emotions swirling around his mind, and he didn’t dare to voice any of them. 

They came to a stop at the foot of the slope, where Victor was to turn in towards the complex, and Yuuri would continue on to the old dance studio. Yuuri turned to him, and smiled softly, as he reached out and tucked a stray away strand of hair behind Victor’s ear. 

“Sweet dreams,” he said, and Victor threw some of his caution to the wind, and stepped close to wrap his arms around Yuuri’s shoulders in a hug. 

It was odd. For as much as they had touched, they had never hugged before. 

It was nice.

“Good night,” Victor said, and Yuuri squeezed him tightly, before Victor pulled back and turned towards the hotel with his heart beating that insistent, too rough way against his ribs. 

He didn’t dare to turn around and see if Yuuri was still there. 


	12. Chapter 12

Victor had never been a very good actor. He could fake smiles, or his attention, and be social when he didn’t feel like it, sure, but putting on a show of something else than pretend pleasantries was a whole other thing. He could bring a character to life on the stage, but that was through dancing, where his body and not his words did most of the work. 

He was in deep waters now. 

“How are you feeling Vitya?” his father asked, and Victor blinked up at him, frowning as if in pain. 

“Mmh, the same, a little worse maybe,” he lied, cuddling even further down into his pillow. “What time is it?” 

“It’s just before dinner,” Yakov answered, and Victor blinked up at him. He looked genuinely worried, and a pang of guilt filled Victor's chest. He had been lying to him for so long now, but he couldn’t back down now. Maybe this way, he would never know. “Are you sure you want to stay up here?”

“Yeah, I don't think I’ll be any good company with his migraine,” Victor said with a soft smile, keeping the frown on his face as he did. “I don’t have much of an appetite either.”

“Fair point,” his father said, and the ghost of a smile curled on his lips. “We will be late up however. There’s a dance show this evening, and Ivan wanted us to sit with him and Anya.”

“Oh, okay,” Victor said with a nod, letting his eyes flutter as if he was growing sleepy again. “It’s okay, I’ll probably just sleep anyway.” 

“Understandable,” his father said with a nod. “Do you want me to send you some food up?”

“No, there’s no need,” Victor assured him. “I won’t eat it anyway. I would hate to waste it.”

“Alright, well feel better, and take some medicine,” Yakov instructed, and Victor assured him that he had already taken something, before Yakov and Georgi said goodbye and left the room. Victor stayed in bed for about a minute, until he hoped they were on their way down, before he rushed out of bed. He arranged his comforter so to look like he was still in bed, and then hurried to the bathroom. He brushed his hair out quickly, and braided it along the sides, while still keeping it free in the back. 

He did his makeup quickly too, happy that he was so steady on his hand after having done his own makeup for performances for so many years. Mila had lent him her makeup, and he was endlessly grateful. A knock came from the door just as he was pulling on his shoes, and he hurried to open it, finding Phichit on the other side.

“Here,” he said, and shoved a large winter jacket into Victor’s arms. “It’s Yuuri’s, just in case someone who would recognize yours would see us.”

“Perfect,” Victor said, and shrugged it on. He grabbed his keycard to the hotel room, and then stepped out into the hallway, pulling the hood of the jacket up. “Here.” He handed Mila’s makeup bag back to Phichit. They walked with hurried steps to the elevator, where Phichit swiped his keycard against the panel, and then pressed one of the buttons to the bottom floor, not accessible for the guests. 

“How are you feeling?” Phichit asked, and Victor turned to him, and felt butterflies explode in his stomach. He had been so focused before this, having a set plan to follow to get everything done. Now was the first time he allowed himself to fully feel, and it made his entire body fill with nerves. 

“Nervous, scared,” he admitted, and looked up at the numbers over the door. “I don’t want to mess up.”

“Some nerves are good,” Phichit mused, and Victor nodded. This was true. Some nerves sharpened one’s attention and could make the performance more emotional, it could easily become too much however. 

“Yeah, I hope it calms a bit before we step on stage,” he admitted, and Phichit hummed in agreement. 

“You have a forty minute car ride to get them to simmer down. Yuuri’s already in the car in the garage. He has the garment bag as well as something for you to eat,” Phichit said, and just then they arrived at the staff floor. It was strangely quiet, but Phichit assured him it was usually like this during the dinner service, since most of the staff was occupied there. 

“Over here,” Phichit guided, and then they stepped through a door and from the stark white hallways and into a concrete garage. Phichit showed him between the rows, and there, in a black car, was Yuuri. 

“Good luck with the show tonight,” Victor said as he turned to Phichit, and Phichit laughed and shook his head. 

“Yeah we’ll bring the house down,” he promised. “Good luck to you as well,” he said with a wink, and Victor grinned before he pulled the door car and slipped inside. 

“Hi,” Yuuri said, his warm eyes finding Victor’s instantly. Victor felt blood rush to his cheeks, and he bit down on his lower lip, trying to get his heart to stop racing.

“Hi,” he greeted back, and it was so silly to be so happy to see him, since it had only been like six hours since he saw him last. Victor had gone up to the old dance studio to run through the choreography this morning, like they usually did, but had left early to be able to do a believable faking of his migraine. 

“The costume is in a costume bag in the back,” Yuuri said, as he safely guided the car out from the garage and into the winter night. “There’s a sandwich and some water in the glove compartment.”

“Thank you,” Victor said, and opened the glove compartment to dig in. He wasn’t really feeling hungry with all his nerves, but he knew he had to eat. He would definitely need the energy later, and it was better to eat now than to change and get food on his dancing costume. “How are you feeling?”

“I’m a bit anxious,” Yuuri said, and Victor raised his eyebrows, digging into the sandwich. “I’m excited too though. I’m sure you’ll be amazing.”

“I wish I could feel as sure,” Victor said, his mouth stuffed with food. Yuuri hummed beside him, and drummed his fingers on the steering wheel. “I just want to be able to be as good as I can… I want you all to have that money. I want you to feel as sure as you did dancing with Sara.” 

“Victor, you’ve done so much for us… for me. Like Leo said when you offered this, there would have been zero chance at this without you. Now there’s at least something. Am I hoping for us to place in the top three, absolutely! You never know though, and it wouldn’t have been a sure thing for me and Sara either,” Yuuri said, and Victor nodded, looking out at the dark of the night. 

“I just don’t want you to feel like I wasted your time,” Victor said, and then took a sip of the water, glancing to the side. Yuuri looked at him with wide eyes, and then back to the road. 

“I would never think that,” Yuuri said, his voice sharp. “I’ve adored dancing with you. It’s been so amazing to see you grow and for us to create this together.” 

“You did the creating though,” Victor insisted, and Yuuri shook his head, a smile curling on his lips. “You did!”

“No, you came up with that great spin, and then the transition between the steps in the cross over. It’s much more fluid now. You’re also so great in the lifts, as well as the emotion you bring into it as well. It makes me better too,” Yuuri insisted, and Victor felt like he was going to float away from all the praise. It was a light bubbly feeling, filling his entire chest. “You’re great to lead too. You answer to my signals perfectly.”

“Thank you,” Victor said with a smile, and glanced over at Yuuri as he drove. He was so beautiful. He was already styled as well, his glasses having been exchanged for contacts, and his hair slicked back. He was in his white shirt, the suit jacket hung at the back of the car with Victor's costume, to be put on for the performance. Victor’s body filled with butterflies. 

“You’ll do amazing, I know you will,” Yuuri said, and Victor smiled. He wasn’t sure he would, but he had to give this his all. He had done everything he could up to this point, and all he could do now was to trust Yuuri and the work they had both done. Thinking like that, made it all much easier.

“I’ve had a good teacher,” Victor said, and took another bite of the sandwich. Yuuri shook his head, but a smile still curled on his lips. Perfect.

“Flatterer,” Yuuri grumbled, and Victor laughed, even though his mouth was full of food. “How are you feeling?”

“Better now,” Victor admitted. “I feel good in your company usually, so it’s no surprise.”

A blush rose on Yuuri’s cheeks, and Victor felt pride swell in his chest. It was so easy to compliment Yuuri, because there were so many things with him that were amazing. It was also lovely, since it often warranted such an imitated response. 

“I’m glad,” Yuuri said, and Victor nodded, eating the last of the sandwich. “Do you want to hear the latest Anya gossip?”

“Ooh, yes!” Victor said immediately, as he shrugged out of the large jacket and crawled into the backseat. “Where did it come from?”

“Well, Phichit told me today that Chris had seen her hanging around the bar more and more, especially around closing time,” Yuuri said, and Victor hummed in understanding as he reached for the garment bag, pulling the costume out. 

“Okay,” he said with a nod, pulling his shirt over his head, before moving on to his pants. “I wouldn’t know, I never stay that long.” 

“Yeah, well apparently some of the other waiters confirmed it, as well as another person working the bar,” Yuuri said, and Victor frowned. 

“What do you mean another person?” he asked, squirming out of his pants and placing them on the seat beside him. 

“Oh, yeah so there were at first rumors of who it was she had moved on to, and since there was wine missing from the bar it became a natural place to suspect. The fact that she hung around there even more only confirmed that,” Yuuri said, and Victor hummed again to urge Yuuri to continue, as he pulled the costume from its confinements. 

“Is there a person who you might think she’s been flirting more with?” Victor asked, starting to pull the costume on to his legs and up. It was all sewn together as a whole, and he needed to keep track of the long half skirt as well as the arms when he pulled the legs on. This would be much easier to do at the venue, but there was a risk they would be late, since Victor had to wait until he could sneak out. 

“Yeah there’s a girl there who’s a first year,” Yuuri continued and Victor pushed his butt from the seat to pull the tight costume over it and his hips. “Kanako.”

“Oh, and that’s who you think she’s been flirting with?” Victor asked, pulling the costume carefully up his torso, until he could slip the arms in. 

“Yeah, apparently Minami saw them yesterday as he walked home from the staff party,” Yuuri confirmed, and Victor looked up to meet his gaze in the rearview mirror. “Kissing.”

“Oh, well then,” Victor said with a startled laugh, pulling the costume up the final bit. “That’s very solid evidence.”

“Yeah,” Yuuri confirmed with a sigh, as Victor reached back to pull the zipper all the way up his neck. The costume hugged him just right, and he smiled as he looked down at it. “I haven’t had the heart to tell Sara yet.”

“Yeah, I should probably tell my brother too,” Victor said with a nod. “I just don’t know how to, without explaining how I know and I can’t do that.”

“It’s not exactly easy,” Yuuri agreed, and Victor hummed, and then slipped back into the front seat, buckling up as soon as he was seated. Yuuri looked over, and a soft smile formed on his face. “You look beautiful.”

Victor felt his cheeks heat as his breath caught, and he let out a slow steady breath to calm his racing heart. He looked out the window, his gaze trained on the road before them as he spoke, not daring to look at Yuuri as he answered.

“I have to make sure to match you, right?”

__________________________

  
  


The competition had already started once they arrived, but since their starting number was later in the starting field it didn’t matter. Yuuri had called to inform them they might be running late, and the hosts had been gracious enough not to care. They were now in the wings, dressed up and ready, waiting for their turn to go up. The music had been handed in, they had looked over each other’s costumes, and they had done the warm up. 

This was it.

“I believe in you,” Victor said, and Yuuri turned to him, eyes wide. “I believe in us.”

Victor did. He had never had more faith in anyone then he had in Yuuri, and he was going to go out on that stage and prove it. 

Yuuri’s hand brushed against his own, and Victor moved to grab it. Yuuri laced their fingers together, and for a moment they simply looked at each other. Yuuri's breath, which had become ragged as they waited, slowed. Something like calmness filled his expression, and he squeezed Victor’s hand. 

“I believe in us too,” Yuuri said, and Victor smiled even wider. For the hundredth time, he wished to push forward to kiss him. He didn’t however, and soon their attention was pulled from each other to the stage instead. 

“The next couple to come on stage is to dazzle us with a Mambo! Please welcome - Yuuri Katsuki, and Victor Nikiforov!” 


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi!  
> I noticed that the notification for yesterdays chapter might not have showed up since the date didn't update. So just a heads up that if you didn't read I yesterday, maybe go look so you don't miss it!  
> Also - Happy Lucia!
> 
> /Lini

“And for third place… with a sleek performance full of heart and determination,” the announcer called, and Victor squeezed Yuuri’s hand so tight, as nerves swirled around in his body. This was it. This was it. He was sure they wouldn’t place higher than third, but he desperately wanted them to place. If they didn’t… Victor could barely think about it. 

Yuuri was serious beside him, his expression neutral. Still, Victor could feel the way his hand trembled in his own as they waited. There were ten other pairs on the stage, and they all hoped to be in that top position, hoping for that prize money. 

The dance had gone well. Victor had missed one transition, but Yuuri had made up for it amazingly, and while the lift wasn’t nearly as fluid as it should have been, they had managed. Still, the couple after them had been breathtaking, and so had the two others following. Yuuri was better than them, Victor was sure of it, but he was sure he wasn't. There was no way they had managed to beat them - no matter how amazing Yuuri was.

“Hisashi Morooka and Yuuto Omiki!” 

Victor's heart sunk, and he let out a slow breath as nausea rolled in his stomach. He had failed. He had failed Yuuri and his friends and he had wasted Yuuri’s energy and time for so many days, as well as the other dancers as they tried to puzzle together their schedules to cover for Sara and Yuuri. 

He wanted to run off the stage, but he couldn’t. He had to stand there, and at least look hopeful in front of the crowd, when all he wanted was to turn and bury himself in Yuuri’s embrace. Would Yuuri allow that? Was Yuuri disappointed with him? Victor would fully understand if he was. 

The cheers and congratulations to the couple fell to deaf ears, and Victor straightened, taking slow breaths to keep calm. There were only two more prizes to announce, and then they could drive back. 

“And in second place, with a routine that had us all at the edge of our seat because of the clear chemistry and passion between the dancers,” the announcer started, and Yuuri squeezed his hand tightly, making Victor’s attention move to him. It was lucky in a way, because if he hadn’t, he never would have seen Yuuri’s expression as the announcer continued. “Yuuri Katsuki and Victor Nikiforov!”

It was as if everything was moving in slow motion, even if it all happened so fast. Yuuri squeezed his hand so tightly, as his wide smile spread on his face. Then he turned, and before Victor had the chance to say anything, he wrapped his arms around Victor’s waist and lifted him off the floor. Victor’s heart raced, and he wrapped his arms around Yuuri’s shoulders in turn, holding him tightly as adrenaline raced through his veins. Yuuri laughed, bright and bubbly and wonderful, and Victor pulled back, just so he could look at him.

“You’re amazing,” Yuuri breathed as he put him back down on the floor, his hand coming up to cup Victor’s cheek for a moment. Victor’s heart was beating too fast, and he didn’t have time to answer that either, before Yuuri turned from him. Victor reached for his hand, and Yuuri laced their fingers together before moving them to the announcers, to accept their prize.

The sound from the audience was almost deafening, and Victor felt breathless as he stood by Yuuri’s side, accepting the announcer's hand to shake in gratitude.

They had placed second. 

They had placed second, and Victor hadn’t wasted Yuuri’s time. 

They had placed second and Yuuri and the others wouldn’t have to starve in the spring months. 

It was a greater prize than Victor could ever have hoped for.

_______________________________

“I never thought we’d win,” Victor said once they were back in the car, squirming out of the costume and getting into his usual clothes. He knew they hadn’t come in first, but it still felt like a win, and he was going to call it that. Yuuri grinned widely in the rearview mirror as they locked eyes, and Victor felt butterflies erupt in his stomach. 

“You were so good Victor. I can’t believe how much you grew in like, just a little over a week,” Yuuri said, and Victor felt pride swell in his chest as a blush rose in time with it on his cheeks. Did Yuuri know how much of an effect he had on him? Did he know he made Victor into a mess by being so lovely? 

“I mean, you were amazing Yuuri. I made so many mistakes up there and you just covered them up like it was nothing,” Victor said as he pulled his pants on. “I was sure I had screwed us.”

“No, no you did great,” Yuuri said, nodding while his eyes were on the road. “Thank you so much for saving our butts. I can’t even begin to describe how much you’ve helped me, and us all out.”

“Yeah, no problem,” Victor said with a nod, trying to sound suave even though he could hear how it came out more like an excited puppy. God, could he be more obvious. “It was fun. So much fun.”

“Good, good,” Yuuri said, and Victor looked away from his eyes in the rearview mirror to pull on his shirt. “You’re really an amazing dancer and it’s been great dancing with you.”

“I’m glad,” Victor said, and then made sure all his clothes were on properly before he slipped between the two front seats and into the front passenger one. He looked over at Yuuri as he buckled his seatbelt, and Yuuri smiled towards him. “Have you told the others yet?”

“No, not yet,” Yuuri said with a shake of his head. “They’re still in the middle of the performance, and I don’t want to disturb them or make them unfocused in case someone decided to check their phone early.”

“Someone like Phichit?” Victor asked, and Yuuri laughed and nodded.

“Exactly someone like Phichit,” he agreed with a grin. He looked over, and Victor smiled at him, seeing Yuuri smile back. Butterflies were rushing through his system, and he didn’t know how to deal with them. It was so silly. After tonight, they may not even hang out anymore. 

The realisation hit Victor like a brick wall. 

After tonight, there was no reason for Yuuri to continue to dance with him, or see him at all. He didn’t think Yuuri disliked him, but why would he want to keep meeting, if they weren’t practicing for the dance competition? There really were no excuses now for Yuuri to keep seeing him, and it hurt. 

It hurt more than it should, the mere idea of not spending time with Yuuri, of not hearing him laugh, of only seeing him as they passed each other in the hallway of the complex or at the remaining balls and dance performances. Victor didn’t want it to be like that. He wanted to hold onto Yuuri longer, but he had no right to that. 

He had thoroughly played himself. 

They drove past the complex and over a small hill, before Yuuri turned down into a small hollow where lots of other cars were placed, right below the staff cabins. This must be a staff parking lot then. Most of the cars were covered in snow and didn’t look like they had been moved since the ski season started, while others were just covered by the soft powder that had been falling during the evening. 

Unlike when Victor had snuck out, the staff floor of the complex would be filled with staff at this hour, who were cleaning up from dinner service and starting to close up. Neither of the dancers seemed that worried about any of the staff saying anything to Ivan or any of the other managers about it, but there was always the risk of running into the staff manager or Anya, so they had decided to park where Yuuri’s car usually stood instead, and for Victor to sneak back into the complex through the main entrance. The performance would be going for another thirty minutes, and if anyone asked why Victor wasn’t in bed, he could always claim to have gone out for some fresh air. It was much easier to explain than why Yuuri was leading Victor from the complex garage and through the staff floor. 

Yuuri guided the car into an empty parking space, and turned the engine off. Victor let out a slow breath, and then pulled Yuuri’s jacket on. It was too big on him, but it didn’t matter. It was warm and cozy, and smelled like Yuuri. Victor would rather keep it, but he guessed he would have to give it back at some point. 

At least he would have that as a reason to see Yuuri one more time. 

“Ready?” Yuuri asked, his voice unbearably soft. Victor nodded, even if he was far from ready to part, and opened the door on his side to push out. He could hear Yuuri do the same, and he rounded the car, coming to a stop at the back of it just as Yuuri stepped out from his side. For a moment they simply looked at each other, and neither of them said anything. 

“So,” Yuuri said, and took a step closer, coming to rest his back against the back of the car. Victor shifted too, so he was standing to face him. Not too close however, no matter how much he wanted to reach out and touch. The short distance between then felt like miles, and it made Victor’s heart ache. 

“So,” Victor answered, not really sure what they were doing. Yuuri shuffled in place, and Victor smiled as snow started lading in his dark hair, looking like stars in the night sky. 

“Thank you again,” Yuuri said and licked his lips, and Victor looked into those deep dark eyes that made him feel like he was drowning. Never before had he ever felt for anyone what he felt for Yuuri, and it made this so incredibly difficult to let go. “Really, I’m so grateful.”

“Hey, anytime you need a back up dance partner,” Victor said with a laugh, even if it felt slightly hollow. 

“Yeah,” Yuuri said, and laughed too. Their eyes were still locked, but neither of them said anything. It was so odd, and Victor didn’t know what to do with it. His heart bled with each and every beat, and he needed to get out of here soon, before it all became too much. 

“I guess I’ll head back now,” he said, motioning with his bare hand in the direction of the complex. Yuuri nodded, and then looked down at the snow covered ground. 

“Yeah I mean- yeah,” he agreed, and Victor cleared his throat. “I hope it goes well.”

“Me too,” Victor agreed, and then they were thrown into thick silence again. It stretched, and Victor couldn’t take it. “I’ll see you.” 

He turned then, because it was getting too much to handle for his hopelessly pining heart. It was better to get this over with, to rip his heart out and leave it in the snow so he could hopefully, maybe, start to move forward.

He doubted he would. 

“Victor, wait!”

He had just taken a step away, when fingers curled around his wrist. Victor turned in a haste, and looked down at it with wide eyes, seeing Yuuri’s bare fingers curled around it. He snapped his eyes to meet Yuuri’s, and then almost without thinking he took a step towards him, like a moth to the brightest flame. 

“Yeah?” he asked, and Yuuri let out a stuttering breath, guiding him closer. Victor followed, because it was the easiest thing in the world now to take Yuuri’s lead. Yuuri’s other hand came up to cup his cheek, and Victor let out a stuttering breath, his eyes slipping closed under the touch. 

“I-” Yuuri started, and Victor opened his eyes again, finding Yuuri’s searching his expression. For what, Victor wasn’t sure. “Victor I-” 

Victor took another step forward, and Yuuri swiped his thumb over Victor’s lower lip. It made his breath catch in his throat, and he wasn’t sure what to do or what to say. The moment felt delicate, and Victor was terrified to shatter it. 

They stood still for a moment, and then that terribly attractive determination flooded Yuuri’s expression, before he pushed up from the car. Victor stood still, and watched as Yuuri closed the distance between them fully, brushing their noses together. Victor felt like he was going to go mad, as Yuuri paused for a second, their lips just centimeters apart. 

Yuuri’s gaze dropped to his lips, and Victor’s stomach filled with butterflies from it.  _ Yes _ , he wanted to scream, but it was as if he was paralyzed. Yuuri met his gaze again, and Victor gave the slightest of nods. A breath left Yuuri’s lips, fanning over Victor’s own, and then he pushed forward and claimed Victor’s lips with his own. 

It felt like falling, as if someone had pushed him over and he was caught in some sort of limbo in constant floating. Yuuri’s lips felt wonderful against his own, and Victor’s hands came up to fist in his jacket, just to have something grounding to hold onto. Yuuri’s lips were perfect, plush and soft and yet slightly chapped, and Victor pushed firmer into him, making sure to deepen the kiss. Yuuri let out a sound between a hum and a moan, and then opened his mouth, kissing Victor deeply as his hand came to cup his cheek. 

They kissed and kissed, and Victor felt as though he wanted to stay here forever. Still, it was he who pushed back first, his heart racing in his chest. 

Their gazes caught, and Victor had to surge forward and kiss Yuuri again, just because he looked too pretty not to. Yuuri smiled into the kiss, and soon Victor was smiling too, joy too bright to hold back flooding his chest. Yuuri kissed the corner of his mouth, and Victor let out a giggle, pulling back enough to look at Yuuri once more.

“Was that okay?” Yuuri asked, and Victor nodded, leaning his forehead against Yuuri’s as he tried to catch his breath. 

“More than okay,” he admitted, smiling silly wide. “You have my permission to do that a lot.”

“Oh,” Yuuri said, and made good of that permission right away, kissing Victor sweetly on his lips once more. “Does this mean I can see you tomorrow again?”

“Yeah?” Victor asked, and then felt happiness and confidence rush in his chest. He kissed Yuuri again, and then pulled away, his hands falling from Yuuri’s body. Yuuri looked slightly dazed, and Victor couldn’t help but smirk because of it. “I have to give you back your jacket after all.”

“Is that a yes?” Yuuri asked, and Victor laughed, and then winked before he turned away to walk back to the resort. Every time he turned back to look, Yuuri was following him with his gaze. 

_______________________

“Where were you last night?”

Victor felt his entire body run cold, as he paused in snaping on his ski boots shut. Georgi was sitting beside him, and Victor looked up at his brother tentatively, finding him looking back at him. 

“What do you mean? I was in bed-”

“No, don’t give me that,” Georgi said, his expression sharp. “Dad sent me up to check on you, and when I got to the bed it was set to look like someone was lying in it, but there wasn’t. You weren’t there.”

“Georgi,” Victor started, but his brother simply shook his head, his expression so clearly superior it made Victor sick. He always did this when he wanted to be scolding, acted like he was some sort of extra parent. Victor despised it. 

“You can’t do that to Dad! What do you think he would have said if he had found out?” Georgi asked, and Victor shook his head. 

“I’m an adult,” he pointed out, and Georgi rolled his eyes as if that was the silliest thing in the world. Victor sighed. It felt like they just kept having this argument over and over, and it was really pointless. 

“You’re not acting like it,” he said sharply, and Victor clenched his jaw. “Whatever you’re up to, whatever you’re hiding. Stop it.”

“It’s none of your business,” Victor pointed out, and Georgi shook his head. “Why didn’t you tell him, if you thought it was so awful?”

Georgi seemed to falter, and Victor pushed off the bench, and levelled him with a look. Georgi glared back, and Victor wondered if he wanted to push it, or if he should just walk away. 

“I thought you were maturing, letting go of ridiculous dance dreams and finally becoming an adult,” Georgi said, and Victor felt anger surge in his veins. “Now, you’re sneaking around, faking being sick, like a teenager.”

“Maybe it’s not as easy as you have it,” Victor snapped. “Just because you love all the things Dad likes, and want to be just like him. Maybe it’s not as cut and dry for everyone else.”

“Maybe you should figure it out then,” Georgi said with a shake of his head, pushing up from the bench as well. “I won’t tell Dad about this time, but I won’t lie again.”

Victor narrowed his eyes at his brother, and Georgi rolled his eyes, before heading to the door. Victor let him go, and took a few deep breaths before he moved after to snap his skis on. He didn’t care what his brother said. The more time he spent dancing, the more time he spent with Yuuri, the more he felt like it was right. He might not get to keep Yuuri, but he couldn’t go on like he had done before they came here.

Some way, he would have to let his father know. 


	14. Chapter 14

Victor’s steps were light as he rushed up the stairs of the old dance studio. He had done his best in trying to push the conversation with his brother aside, and it was far too easy to do when he was so close to seeing Yuuri again. Georgi had said he wouldn’t tell Yakov about it, and Victor hoped he would stand by that. It wasn't as if Victor hadn’t covered for Georgi multiple times in the past, so clearly he owed him one. 

It was strange, even though he really didn’t agree with how his brother spoke about dance, he didn’t care as much now as he had as he arrived at the Catskills little over two weeks ago. He didn’t care as much about what his dad thought either. Perhaps that was insensitive, but it was incredibly freeing. So what if he loved to dance? If they couldn’t understand that, then fine. Victor didn’t understand them either - but at least he wasn’t trying to control either of them.

It really wasn’t fair that they were trying to control him.

He opened the door to the dance studio and stepped inside, feeling slightly odd as the door fell shut behind him. He wasn’t here for the same reason as he had all the other days. Before, there had been a clear purpose in training for the competition, but now… there was only them and what they had said yesterday by Yuuri’s car, the sensation of Yuuri’s mouth against his own still burning on Victor’s lips.

What if Yuuri had changed his mind?

“Victor?” Yuuri called, and Victor’s chest filled with warmth as a smile spread on his lips. He took a few hurried steps across the hallway, and came to a stop in the door opening to the dance studio. Yuuri looked up, and then smiled so softly Victor felt as though his heart might stop. 

Wow.

“Hi,” Victor said breathlessly, feeling happy jitters fill his body. Yuuri was in soft clothes, his hair unstyled and with his glasses on his nose, and he looked wonderfully pretty. Yuuri walked towards him, and Victor felt his smile spread even wider as he did. 

“I’m happy to see you,” Yuuri said, and Victor felt like he wanted to let out a happy shriek from the emotions that threatened to overflow in his body. 

“Good,” he said, and then Yuuri had finally reached him. Anticipation was growing in Victor’s body, and it was becoming near impossible to hold back from just rushing forward. He wanted to feel Yuuri closer, wanted to indulge in all the things he never had before. Victor wrapped his arms around Yuuri’s shoulders, and Yuuri gripped his open jacket, and then pushed forward to claim Victor's lips. Victor let out a soft gasp, and then pushed forward even more firmly into the kiss. 

It was a wonder to kiss Yuuri. 

His lips were soft, and not at all chapped now, and demanding without being overwhelming. Victor had never kissed anyone who made him feel so much from a simple press of lips. Yuuri’s breath trembled against his mouth as they pulled apart, and Victor kissed him, again, just because he could. 

Yuuri was smiling as he pulled back, and it made Victor’s stomach swoop. He was so beautiful.

“Are you keeping the jacket on?” Yuuri asked teasingly as their gazes caught, and Victor laughed and shook his head, pulling back from the embrace to start shrugging the jacket fully off. 

“Why Yuuri, are you urging me to undress?” Victor tested, and Yuuri chuckled, warmly and full of promise as he shook his head. “Terrible influence.”

“You’re a tease,” Yuuri pointed out, and Victor winked at him, as he kicked off his shoes. “Did it go okay, yesterday when you came back to your room?”

“Yes it did, they hadn’t come back yet. Apparently my brother had been sent to check on me though, and noticed I wasn’t there,” Victor said, and Yuuri’s eyes went wide as he paled. Victor shook his head, and quickly continued. “He hadn’t said anything to anyone though. At least not my dad.”

“Let's hope he doesn’t say anything to Anya either,” Yuuri mumbled, and Victor nodded, moving into the room. He stepped carefully over to Yuuri, and let his arm come around his waist. Yuuri welcomed him easily into his embrace, and Victor felt something settle in his chest as he leaned against his shoulder. “I don’t- I don’t want Ivan to find out about Sara. We’ve been doing such a good job keeping it quiet.”

“Georgi might tell her,” Victor mused with a nod. “I doubt Anya would do anything about it though. What use would Ivan have of the information that I’m sneaking out? I don’t think she would connect it to you either. Neither you or Sara were supposed to be at the show last night, so that couldn’t have drawn suspicion that we were both missing either.”

“Yes, let's hope not,” Yuuri said, pressing a kiss to Victor's hair, seemingly almost absentmindedly. Victor closed his eyes under it, and revelled in how good this felt. They had been touching up to this point, but Yuuri’s hands on him now soothed something that the fleeting touches when dancing before could never quell. 

He might not get to keep this for very long, but he was going to do his best to enjoy it while he did.

“If he does say anything to my father, I’ll deal with it,” Victor said with a nod, and Yuuri looked down to meet his gaze. “I mean- He’s already disappointed in me for being a dancer, and I’m sure he will be even more so when I let him know I can’t stop doing it… it’s better for me to deal with the fallout than you being fired.”

“You’ve done so much for us already,” Yuuri pointed out, his voice soft as his hand caressed up and down Victor’s back. “I don’t want you and your father to have a falling out over it.”

“It’ll be fine, we’ll have a fall out no matter what,” Victor pointed out, wrapping himself a little more firmly against Yuuri.    
“So… you’ve decided to go back to ballet?” Yuuri asked after a moment of silence, his fingers working their way through Victor’s hair. It felt really, really nice. 

“Mmh,” Victor hummed, closing his eyes under the ministrations of Yuuri’s hands. “I haven’t decided it all yet but… dancing makes me happy, so I want to continue with it.”

“I fully understand you in that,” Yuuri said with a soft laugh, and Victor opened his eyes slowly to meet him. Yuuri smiled, and Victor smiled back. It felt good to have someone understand. To have shared this experience with Yuuri had fully shown him how much he had missed dancing, and how much he longed to have it in his life. 

Yuuri was a magnificent dancer, and Victor's mind started spinning with it as they held each other close. He wanted to ask about Yuuri’s dancing. How had he ended up here, when he was a classically trained ballet dancer? Yuuri had only mentioned a family in passing, parents and a sister which he seemed to be on okay terms with… other than that, Victor knew nothing about his past. 

“Do you want to dance today?” Yuuri asked with a smile. Victor grinned widely, and pushed the thoughts to the back of his mind. It wasn’t as if he would have dared to ask anyway. 

“I do,” he admitted, leaning forward to kiss Yuuri’s lips again, a soft peck. “Could you teach me the Cha-Cha?” 

Yuuri laughed, and chased his lips as he pulled back. 

This was a wonderful day. 

____________________________

  
  


“Would you join me in a dance?”

Yuuri looked far too good to be asking such things, in his black tuxedo and white shirt, with his hair slicked back and his glasses on his nose. Victor was already pining far too hard for him from the sidelines, and maybe pushing down jealousy as much as he could into the pit of his stomach, as Yuuri moved on the dance floor. 

It was the second ball of the season. There had of course been the opening ball, and this was the third of advent-ball, and then there would be the Christmas Eve ball. Yuuri had explained that it was so that those who had been taking dance lessons could show off their new skills, as well as hopefully interest even more guests to take classes. 

Victor bit into his lip, and felt longing and want rise in his chest. 

He could probably dance for a bit? Surely there could be no harm in it? Georgi had been on the dance floor since they arrived, either with Anya or one of the Leroy siblings in his arms. Yakov had even stepped away with Alan for a reason or another that Victor hadn’t been paying attention to, and who knew when he would be back. 

Really… he should dance.

“Yes,” he agreed, and took Yuuri’s outstretched hand. Yuuri smiled widely as their fingers laced together, and Victor fought the impulse to laugh as happiness filled his body. 

They had been dancing so much together, both up until the dance competition as well as yesterday and today. Yuuri had left a couple of times to hold dance lessons, but he always returned, and whisked Victor off his feet. They had danced Mambo, Cha-Cha, Waltz and Ballet. The last one was Victor’s favorite. Partly because it was known to him and he could easily match Yuuri in it, but also because Yuuri looked stunning moving in such a way. It made Victor fully breathless to see, and part of him couldn’t help but daydream of what it would be like to be on stage with Yuuri, dancing one of Lilia’s choreographed ballets, or something classic and romantic. 

It was fully self-indulgent and silly. Victor was just waiting for him to grow tired of him, but it didn’t seem to have happened so far. 

Maybe if he was lucky, they could keep going until Victor had to leave.

The thought of it made pain erupt in Victor’s chest, and he pushed it down. There was no use in dwelling on that now, not when Yuuri was guiding him onto the dance floor between the other dance instructors and guests for a dance. He needed to enjoy the time he had been granted here, and not let the approaching separation overcloud him.

It was very different, being led through all of these guests, dressed properly and moving according to the rules of the dance, and when Yuuri had led him through the staff on the party floor of the staff cabin, but the sensation of Yuuri’s hand in his as they zig-zagged between couples dancing caused him the strangest deja vu. For a moment Victor mused how it would be to grab Yuuri tight and grind him like he had then, but he guessed that would get Yuuri fired, and him possibly thrown out.

Maybe he could get a chance to do it some other time.

The song playing was a Waltz, and Yuuri turned him smoothly around so they were facing each other, and set his frame as Victor stepped into it. They took a collective breath, both counting them in and then Yuuri led him into the dance. It was heaven, dancing with Yuuri. As much as Victor loved dancing in general, this was a new level of it. He wondered how he would manage once it was over. 

“Lock your frame Victor,” Yuuri teased, and Victor felt a swoop of his stomach as he bit down on his lower lip to quell out his smile. It wouldn’t do to look so smitten surely, but it was near impossible when being in Yuuri’s arms to hold back. “No spaghetti arms.”

“Mine and your dance space?” Victor asked with a laugh, and Yuuri led them over the floor. “Are we back to that now?”

“It’s never wrong to go through the basics,” Yuuri pointed out, and Victor shook his head, as he tightened his frame, making a wide smile unfold on Yuuri’s lips. “There we go.”

“I have an excellent teacher,” Victor said, and Yuuri raised his eyebrows as his eyes gleamed.

“Really?” Yuuri asked, and Victor hummed in agreement. 

“He’s handsome, and talented, and an excellent dancer of course,” Victor said, and was delighted by the way a blush rose on Yuuri’s cheeks by the compliments. “He’s very sexy too.”

“Victor,” Yuuri said, and Victor winked, unable to stop himself. Yuuri shook his head, but the blush stayed on his cheeks, which Victor felt silly proud over. 

He felt like he could stay in this moment forever.

The world seemed to have other plans however. 

A hand wrapped around Victor’s wrist, and tugged. Victor was so enraptured in Yuuri, and their movement, that he lost balance because of it, tumbling out of Yuur’s embrace to the side of the dance floor. As he straightened, he caught his father’s furious gaze, and all he could do as he tried to make sense of what was happening was to follow, as he was pulled out of the room. The music from the ball quieted as they entered the corridor, where Victor finally managed to shake himself from his shock and pull free from the vice like grip on his wrist. 

For a moment they simply stared at each other, Victor’s eyes wide as he took in his father’s enraged expression. It had been a long time since he had seen him so angry. 

“What are you doing?” Victor asked as his breath finally came back to him, and his father’s gaze became even darker.

“What were you doing,  _ dancing _ ?” Yakov snapped accusatorily, and Victor clenched his jaw against the rage that swelled in his chest, overpowering the shock that had just been swimming in his chest. 

“Georgi is dancing!” Victor exclaimed, throwing his arm out towards the half-open door. “Half the guests are dancing! How can it be so bad that I’m dancing too!”

“That’s not that same!” his father exclaimed, and Victor fought the impulse to stomp his foot like a child in frustration. “And that is not what I meant.”

“What did you mean then?” Victor asked, unable to wrap his head around what his father was saying. He had clearly been dancing just now, and before that they had been fine, so he had no idea what his father was going on about. 

“I was just approached by Alan’s son JJ, who informed me that he had attended a dancing competition the other night, where he had been amazed to see you, on stage, with that man who you were just dancing with,” Yakov snapped, his voice booming against the walls of the corridor, and Victor felt his blood run cold. 

He had never considered that some of the guests of the hotel might attend the competition. 

How incredibly foolish. 

“Dad-” Victor started, hearing how weak his voice sounded. He had no idea where to start, in the tangled mess of feelings towards his father and dance, and Yuuri and why he had done what he had done. Yakov continued to look at him with an enraged expression, and really there was no denying it now. 

“Is it true?” his father asked, and Victor let out a slow breath, and nodded. “ _ Victor Alexander Nikiforov! _ ” 

Victor flinched from the harsh tone, and then both of them turned towards the door to the ballroom, as someone walked out the door. Victor’s heart swelled when he saw that it was Yuuri, stepping up to his side. He barely dared to look back to his father, because he was sure he would go insane over it. 

“You okay?” Yuuri asked, and Victor nodded. Yuuri glanced at Yakov, and then looked back at him. “Do you want me to stay?” 

Victor looked into his eyes, and really there was nothing he wanted more than to take Yuuri’s hand and hold onto it as he weathered through this storm, but he feared that it would only make his father angrier. 

“I’ll be okay,” he promised, and Yuuri’s brows pinched as if he didn’t believe him. It was a valid concern. Victor didn’t believe it either. Still, Victor tried to give him a reassuring smile, even if it probably came out more as a grimace than anything else. 

“Okay,” Yuuri agreed slowly, and then brushed his fingers against Victor’s before turning towards the still open door again. Victor’s heart ached to see him go.

“Dancers,” Yakov muttered as if talking about filth under his shoe. It made Victor’s heart ache. He saw Yuuri straighten, and Victor turned to his father with added strength. It was one thing for him to talk about Victor like that. It was another matter entirely, to speak like it about Yuuri. “Selfish scum, all of them.”

“Dad!” Victor exclaimed, just as he saw Yuuri slip through the door. “That’s so unfair! Yuuri didn’t deserve that!”

“Isn’t it true? I heard you won a lot of money in the competition? Was that for you at all?” Yakov questioned, and Victor pinched his lips together. “I didn’t think so.”

“Everything done doesn’t have to be for a personal gain,” Victor protested. “I chose to help. They needed help because of…” he trailed off, trying to calm his mind. What would happen if he were to out Anya here? As far as he knew, his father and Ivan didn’t know about Sara missing the competition, and maybe he could somehow keep it that way. 

“See, you can’t even tell me!” Yakov exclaimed. “They were just using you, Vitya! That man was just taking advantage of you! This is why I don’t want you to be around dancers. They’re a terrible influence.”

“I don’t agree with you,” Victor said firmly, and his father shook his head in disbelief. “I don’t! I know so many dancers, Yuuri included, that are kind and warm and do everything they can for those they care for…. like Mom.”

If looks could kill, Victor would be dead right now. His father looked furious, and Victor knew why. Still he stood by it. He was incredibly sick of this, and he was done pretending for the sake of his father, who grew more and more narrow minded the more Victor gave up to please him.

“She’s not your mother,” he said, and Victor felt his eyes start to burn from the statement. It was the stupidest thing he had ever heard.

“Don’t you dare say that!” he snapped, wondering if he had ever been this angry at anyone. “She came to every parent teacher meeting, she helped with so many homeworks, she comforted me when I had nightmares. She supported me, and cheered me on and she loves me. She raised me just as much as you did. You don’t get to decide if she’s my mother or not. It doesn’t matter if I don’t have her DNA.”

“I won’t have you be like her, throwing your life away when you could do so much,” Yakov said, and he was calmer now, even if Victor still saw that unrelenting straightness of his posture. “It is not the life I want for you.”

“I’m sorry to tell you this, but it is not for you to decide,” Victor proclaimed, and his father’s eyes widened. “I love you. I want you to be happy, but I am not you and I am not mom and I need you to let me be me.” 

“Vitya,” Yakov said, and for a moment they simply looked at each other. Victor had said all he felt he could say at this point. There was more of course, about how he wanted to continue to dance, and how he was in love with Yuuri, and how he wasn’t sure what to do going forward, but for a moment he hoped that his father would calm, and listen, at least to this. 

Yakov seemed to consider, and then his expression hardened again, and Victor knew he had lost. 

“You still lied to me. You snuck out and disobeyed when I told you not to dance,” Yakov said, and Victor felt all his fight bleed from him. Clearly, he could not win this. “You are not to see that man again, understood? You are forbidden to dance.”

“No.”

It was so easy to say it. Victor had no interest in obeying his father, or play into his power stance. He saw shock overtake his father’s features, before they hardened once more. 

“Then you’re not allowed to stay with us,” he said sharply, and Victor simply shrugged. 

“Fine. I’ll go up and pack my things,” he said calmly, and then he turned from the corridor, and headed for the room. 

____________________________

Thirty minutes later he stood outside in the cold December night, with his duffle bag slung over his shoulder, Yuuri’s jacket covering his frame and his long hair blowing in the wind. The cold of the night bit into his cheeks and his bare fingers, and he let out a long sigh, the air leaving his mouth creating puffy clouds. 

He had expected this to hurt more, but in a way - there was only relief.

A new form of freedom.

He raised his bare hand, and after taking one more breath of the cold air, he knocked.

There was shuffling inside, and then the door opened to reveal Yuuri. He was still in his tuxedo pants, but his chest was bare, and all Victor wanted right now was to be with him. Relief flooded his chest as they looked eyes, and all he could see in Yuuri’s expression was warmth and acceptance.

“Victor,” Yuuri said softly, and Victor looked into his dark eyes, and for a moment said nothing at all. 

“Can I come in?” he asked once he had caught his breath, and Yuuri nodded, taking a step to the side to let him in. Victor pushed forward, and then turned back to Yuuri as the door fell shut. Victor dropped his bag to the floor, and looked at Yuuri with a racing heart. “Can I stay?” he asked next, and Yuuri’s eyes were so kind as they met his. Yuuri took a step forward, and carefully cupped his cheek. Vicor leaned into it, and let his eyes fall shut as he took a deep breath. Did Yuuri know he had his heart in his hand too?

“For as long as you need,” Yuuri said, and Victor let out a sigh, and fell into his arms. 


	15. Chapter 15

Yuuri ushered him over to the couch, and Victor sank into the plushness of it as Yuuri moved over to the kitchenette. His mind felt heavy, and yet so clear, as it was accompanied by the soft music flowing through the room. He hadn’t expected to be caught  _ now _ , and especially not in this way. He felt so foolish, that he hadn’t even considered that someone of the other guests might have come to the actual competition. It had seemed so unlikely, especially with the dance performance at the Catskills. It didn’t matter now, and in a way Victor was glad to have had it all exposed, even if he had not expected to have this conversation with his father today. He knew that in the near future he would have to, but he had assumed it would be something he would have the chance to plan for and to bring up himself in a calm environment.

This had been anything but calm. 

A cup of steaming tea was placed on the table before him, and Victor glanced down at it, before he looked up, only to see Yuuri sit down on the couch on the other side, his expression hard to read. Victor frowned, and pushed up to sit a little straighter, keeping Yuuri’s gaze. For a long moment they simply sat there and looked at each other, neither of them saying a word.

“How are you feeling?” Yuuri asked, and Victor let out a sigh, breaking their eye contact to look up at the ceiling, trying to calm the storm in his chest. There were so many emotions there, so much he wanted to share but wasn’t sure he dared to.

“I’m very sorry about the way my father spoke to you,” Victor said finally, since he very much felt he could settle on that, and looked back down only to meet Yuuri’s perplexed gaze. 

“No, you don’t need to do that. I- I’ve heard that before. It’s worse I think that he spoke like that to you,” Yuuri answered, and Victor shook his head stubbornly, letting out a long breath. 

“It’s not- It’s not okay,” he insisted, and met Yuuri’s gaze, trying for a smile but felt how it came out stilted. “It’s not true what he said. He was angry with me and-”

“Victor,” Yuuri said, and Victor shook his head again. He hated this distance between them, and he wanted to reach out and touch Yuuri. To run his fingers over his cheeks and lips and down his neck to his chest. To place his hand over his heart and feel it beat. “You were so brave, standing up to him.”   
“Brave?” Victor asked, a laugh startling its way out between his lips. “I wasn’t brave. There was nothing I could do. He already knew so much of it.”

“And you didn’t back down! You stood up for yourself, and what you wanted. You didn’t let his views of the world or of you overtake you,” Yuuri said, and Victor let out a shuddering breath, trying to let it all sink in. Yuuri’s expression turned soft, and Victor could barely stand it with how much he was feeling for this man. How was it that Yuuri just saw him - understood? “You were magnificent. I think- I think who you are is magnificent.”

It made Victor’s breath catch in his throat, and his heart race in his chest. 

How could Yuuri say things like that, and not think it would shake Victor to the core.

Never before had he felt for anyone what he felt for Yuuri, and it made him ache and bleed and want to throw everything away for just a moment with his cheek in Yuuri’s palm.

“Yuuri,” Victor said, and inched closer on the couch. They were still not touching, but if Victor reached out now, he could reach Yuuri’s cheek. 

He still couldn’t find any words however, they all seemed trapped in his chest under the crushing weight of the fear of rejection. 

“I- I don’t… I know people see me like that, like a nobody who failed in life, who didn’t measure up and that isn’t good enough. I understand, him thinking I’m not good enough for you,” Yuuri said, and Victor felt each and every one of the words like a punch in the gut. It made the words rush forward instead, tumbling from his mouth almost unbidden as he ached to reassure this man who was more than Victor could fully comprehend. “The reason people treat me like I’m nothing is because I’m nothing.”

“You!” Victor exclaimed, having a hard time controlling his voice as his emotions exploded. “You’re  _ everything _ !” 

Yuuri stared for a moment, and then pushed off the couch, creating an even greater distance between them. It made Victor hurt, feeling every centimeter like a mile. Yuuri seemed to have a hard time being still, shuffling in place back and forth. 

“How can you say that when you’re so bright, so warm and talented?” Yuuri asked, his voice rushed. “You could be anything, you could be everything you want and I-”

“Yuuri,” Victor said sharply, and Yuuri let out a slow breath as he stopped his rambling and simply looked into Victor's eyes. What did he see there? Victor wasn’t sure, and he wasn’t certain he wanted to know. “Don’t you understand that I don’t want that! I don’t want everything like that, I just want you!”

Victor paused as his heart beat up his throat, making him almost sick with the admittance. He saw Yuuri’s eyes growing wide as he stopped, and Victor let out a trembling breath from under the weight of his gaze. His heart was racing, too fast to control, and fear spread through his body like weeds, making everything tingle uncomfortably. He had done it now. Yuuri was going to say he didn’t feel the same, and Victor’s heart would shatter into more pieces than he could ever glue together. 

A shocked laugh fell from Yuuri’s lips, and Victor looked at him with wide eyes as he saw Yuuri shake his head in disbelief. His expression was wild, but his gaze soft, and it made terrible hope ignite in Victor’s chest that this could be more than fleeting kisses in snow soaked parking lots and hidden dance studios. 

“Victor,” Yuuri said, so incredibly tender it made Victor’s heart swell. “Isn’t it already painfully obvious that I’m in love with you?” he asked with a disbelieving laugh, and Victor let the shock settle for a moment, before he rushed off the couch faster than his mind kept up with. He collided into Yuuri, who caught him, he always caught him, and pressed himself firmly against his body. 

“In case it wasn’t painfully obvious,” Victor echoed, and something soft filled Yuuri’s eyes as he caressed his fingers up his cheeks. “I’m terribly in love with you too.”

Yuuri’s lips spread into a smile, and Victor smiled too, before he pressed his lips to Yuuri’s, feeling the rush of something sweet and wonderfully warm spread through his system. Yuuri’s arms wrapped around his shoulders and pulled Victor closer to his still bare chest. Victor loved the closeness of this, of feeling Yuuri’s skin under the palm of his hands, with no barriers between them. 

Yuuri’s mouth was hot against his own, and Victor melted into him, succumbing fully to be in Yuuri’s mercy. He pressed his lips urgently to Yuuri’s, and Yuuri’s hands moved down his body, caressing softly before he gripped him tightly. Victor gasped, and Yuuri took that opportunity to deepen the kiss, swiping his tongue along the seam of Victor’s lips before sliding into Victor's mouth. Victor groaned, and answered in kind, addicted to having more and more of Yuuri.

He wasn’t sure which of them started moving, but slowly, they started swaying. The music was still playing in the background, and Victor let it guide him as he broke away from the kiss, and pressed his hips into Yuuri’s firmly. Yuuri let out a soft gasp, as his grip on Victor’s hips tightened. 

That sensation started pooling in Victor's stomach again, a need he had never felt with anyone before Yuuri warming his body. He swayed his hips more firmly, and he felt Yuuri move his leg between his legs to steady him as he took the lead.

This was a slow dance. 

It was all feeling and movement, and Victor reached back as Yuuri held him firmly, closing his eyes under the feeling of their lower bodies tangled together. Yuuri swayed him, and Victor let out a soft breath, before pushing up to meet Yuuri’s gaze. 

His eyes were even darker than usual, and it sent a thrill up Victor’s spine, the heat pooling in his gut following it, spreading through his entire body. He pressed close to Yuuri’s body instead, and mouthed lazily from his collarbone up his neck, all the way to his jaw. Yuuri moaned, and his hands dipped lower, until they cupped Victor’s cheeks. Victor let out a moan from the sensation, and pressed firmer into Yuuri’s groin. He could feel the swell there, a hardness that pressed into his hip, and oh Victor wanted more.

“You’re so beautiful,” Yuuri whispered, as if he didn't want to shatter the moment. Victor moaned from the compliment, and took Yuuri’s earlobe between his lips and sucked. Yuuri’s hips jerked, and Victor felt endlessly pleased with himself because of it, to know he could have such an impact on Yuuri.

“You’re so hot you’re driving me crazy,” he breathed right next to Yuuri’s ear, and Yuuri let out another sigh, his hand caressing down to bring Victor’s leg up around his hip. “I’ve never felt like this before.”

“Victor,” Yuuri breathed and then Victor kissed him again, hot and needy, as he ground his groin into Yuuri’s. Victor was hard now, blood rushing to his groin as his want for Yuuri grew more urgent. He loved the way Yuuri’s hands felt on his body, the way he held him so tenderly and yet firmly, like he too knew that Victor longed to belong to him. 

Victor had been with people before, but it had always been something off, something missing. He had never understood what the thing about sex was, since most of the time he barely felt like it at all. There was like something wasn’t connecting, like that spark everyone went crazy over wasn’t there.

He felt it now, as Yuuri let his leg fall back down to the floor, and caressed up Victor’s torso to bundle in Victor’s shirt. It felt like anticipation, as Victor longed for him to grab it and pull up. Victor wanted him to. He wanted them to be bare together, to see Yuuri’s pleasure, to know how it might feel to be under Yuuri’s touch. 

There was like there was an itch under his skin, but not at all unpleasant. It was warm and grounding, and it made his hips press more firmly into Yuuri’s, making him long to be touched and to touch in return. 

Wow. 

“Can I take this off?” Yuuri asked, and Victor nodded, meeting Yuuri’s lustful gaze with his own heavy lidded eyes. Yuuri smiled, dark and promising, and Victor raised his arms over his head to urge him on. Yuuri kissed his cheek, and then mouthed along his jaw, as he slowly pulled the sweater up, up, until he had to break away to pull it fully off Victor’s body, leaving both of them bare chested. 

Victor pushed forward, longing to feel Yuuri’s skin against his. He was hot, but so was Victor, and Victor let his hands caress down Yuuri’s bare back to up his ass, and ground into him.

“Fuck,” Yuuri moaned, and Victor smirked into his mouth, kissing him urgently. “You’re driving me insane,” he breathed once they pulled apart, and Victor could only nod in agreement. 

“Take me to bed, Yuuri,” he said, but it was much more a question than a demand. He never wanted to ask anything of him that he wouldn’t want. 

“Yeah?” Yuuri asked, and Victor nodded and kissed him again, hot and needy as his fingers caressed their way into the hair at the nape at Yuuri’s neck. “You sure?”

“I want you so much,” Victor said against his lips, and Yuuri shuddered, making Victor’s heart race. “But we don’t have to.”

“No I-” Yuuri said, and he had stopped swaying now, his hands on Victor’s hips guiding him back towards the bedroom door. “I do, I want you so bad.”

Victor couldn’t help but smile, feeling a rush of adrenaline race through his veins. He kissed Yuuri again, and Yuuri smiled too, as he grabbed Victor and lifted him off the floor. Victor yelped in surprise, but then he laughed, wrapping his arms tightly as Yuuri walked them into the bedroom. Victor had never been here before, but he had no need to look through his surroundings. All he could see was Yuuri. All he wanted to see was Yuuri. 

Yuuri came to a stop right next to the bed, and for a moment they simply looked at each other, Victor’s heart racing in his chest. He couldn’t believe he got to have this, to have Yuuri’s hands on him, his attention. 

He would cherish it to its fullest, even if he wouldn’t be allowed to keep it.

Yuuri placed him carefully on the bed, and Victor laid down as Yuuri crawled over him, as if magnets moving together, or like a dance where they knew which way the other would turn. Yuuri’s hand caressed up his side slowly, and Victor let out a moan from how incredible it felt, his eyes falling shut. 

He wanted Yuuri’s hands on him always.

“Have you, ever before?” Yuuri asked, and Victor opened his eyes slowly and nodded. Yuuri’s expression was serious, but not harsh, as he nodded. “You look so good in my bed, baby.”

“Oh,” Victor breathed, and felt the pet name surge through his veins, making him tremble and ache. Even more blood rushed to his groin, and he held back from bucking his hips, but just barely managed. “Yuuri.”

“I want to make you feel so good,” Yuuri said, and Victor nodded, pulling him down into a kiss. 

They licked into each other’s mouths as their hands explored each other's torsos and backs, before they slowly started stripping each other out of their pants and underwear. It was unhurried, as if they were both savouring each and every touch, each and every mark kissed into each other’s skin. 

Once they were fully bare, having had to switch positions to finally manage to do so, Victor was in Yuuri’s lap, their erections brushing every time either of them rolled their hips. It was addicting, the way Yuuri’s breath hitched every time Victor moved. 

Yuuri pulled back from the kiss with a gasp, and Victor caressed his hands down his chest, looking down at their bare bodies. There was so much he wanted, so much he ached for, and he longed desperately to feel Yuuri’s hands on him, wanting to know what it would feel like. 

Yuuri brought him back by cupping his chin, and smiled teasingly as their eyes met. Victor felt himself flush, but really he didn’t regret a thing. Yuuri was gorgeous naked, and Victor suddenly had many fantasies about what he wanted to do with him, and his very long and thick cock. 

“See something you like?” Yuuri asked and Victor huffed, before he leaned forward to caress his thumb under Yuuri’s lower lip. It was so red from all the kissing, and Victor loved it. Yuuri opened his mouth a little wider, and then sucked Victor’s thumb into his mouth. 

A rush of want filled Victor’s body, shooting down to his groin and made him whimper. Victor let the digit fall from between his lips, and he kissed the pad instead.

“You okay?” he asked, and Victor nodded, feeling his breath tremble in his chest. 

“Yeah it’s good. It feels so good. It’s just different,” he said, and Yuuri caressed his hands up and down his body, leaving goosebumps in their wake. 

“Different how?” he asked, and Victor felt his blush deepen. A part of him didn’t want to say, with the risk of sounding overly romantic or being misunderstood, but this was Yuuri. Yuuri, who always saw him, and met him where he was. 

“I’ve never felt like this before, wanted someone like this,” Victor tried, rolling his hips again so their cocks brushed. Victor whimpered again, as need pooled in his gut. Yuuri moaned, and it was quickly becoming one of Victor’s favourite sounds. “I’ve never wanted anyone so much as I want you.”

“I adore you,” Yuuri breathed, and then kissed him again. Victor moaned into it, and rolled his hips once more. Yuuri broke away from the kiss with a moan, and leaned to the side. Victor watched as he pulled lube from the nightstand, and then looked back to Yuuri as he slicked his hand up, his own heart racing in his chest as he watched. 

“Tell me if there’s something you don’t like?” Yuuri asked, and Victor nodded, feeling warmth swell in his chest with the arousal. 

“Okay,” he breathed, having a hard time forming words with the anticipation building again. He wasn’t sure where Yuuri was going with that hand, but he desperately wanted to find out.

“Promise?” Yuuri asked, moving forward until his breaths were ghosting over Victor’s lips, causing Victor’s heart to race.

“Promise,” he agreed, and Yuuri closed the distance between their lips, claiming Victor's mouth. Victor moaned into the kiss, and then he did again, as Yuuri’s hand wrapped around both of their erections, stroking slowly up. “Haaa.”

Victor’s hips bucked into Yuuri’s fist, and the slide of his cock against Yuuri’s was so erotic, and felt so wonderfully good, he felt himself tremble under it. His hands moved into the hairs at the nape of Yuuri’s neck, and he felt his fingers tremble, as he let himself go and fully indulged in the feeling of Yuuri’s hands on him. 

He felt like he was shaking apart in Yuuri’s grip under the pleasure building in his body. It was heavenly, and he broke away from the kiss to breathe, fucking into Yuuri’s fist as he did. 

“Yes, yes Yuuri aaaa,” he moaned, and Yuuri kissed down his neck, scraping his teeth against Victor’s pulse point. Victor whined, and moved firmer into Yuuri’s grasp. He pulled back enough to look into Yuuri’s eyes, and loved the view he got. Yuuri was flushed, his eyes dark and his lips kiss bitten. He looked lost in pleasure too, and Victor adored seeing this side of him, as if he was given something not many else got. “Haaa.” 

“You’re so good, so good Victor mmmh,” Yuuri moaned, and Victor whimpered. He wouldn’t be able to hold back much longer, and he surged forward to claim Yuuri’s lips again, panting into his mouth as the overwhelming feeling of want and need and pleasure mixed. 

“I’m gonna come,” Victor warned, breathless and whining. Yuuri nodded, and then sped up his hand, making Victor break apart under the pleasure that rose and rose and …

Victor tumbled over the edge, his body shaking and trembling as he spurted come over Yuuri’s hand and both of their chests. He felt like he convulsed in a loop, everything going white for a moment as he was overtaken by pleasure. He caught his breath first, as he slowly came down from the magnificent high of orgasm. He twitched still as he tried to catch his breath as he slowly came down. He blinked, and then caught Yuuri’s gaze, just as he too fell over the edge of pleasure. 

It was a gorgeous sight, seeing Yuuri tip his head back and close his eyes, as loud moans of Victor’s name fell from his lips. Victor felt spellbound as he watched, and knew that he wanted to see it again and again. 

Yuuri let out a slow breath once he stopped trembling, and Victor curled up against him, pressing his lips to the corner of Yuuri’s mouth. Yuuri smiled, lazy and sweet, and Victor felt more content in this moment than he could remember being in years.

“Hi,” Yuuri said, and Victor let out a chuckle, looking up at him only to meet a soft expression. 

“Hi,” he answered, and then Yuuri kissed him again. 


	16. Chapter 16

Victor woke warm, curled around Yuuri’s still sleeping body. It was beyond nice, and he indulged in simply staying there in bed, feeling Yuuri’s chest move up and down under the palm of his hand as he breathed. How wonderful it was to wake like this, slowly and without having to rush up and out into the slopes. Here, Victor would hide away from the world in Yuuri’s embrace, leaving all his troubles behind for a moment. At least until he had to place his feet on the floor. 

He opened his eyes slowly, and the dim light of the room made the sensation of wanting to snuggle up even starker. It was as if the day was lazy too, as it cast pale shadows into the bare bedroom. Victor pressed his nose into the juncture of Yuuri’s neck and jaw, and breathed, as he fanned his hand out on his chest. Yuuri’s heart beat at a solid grounding pace, and Victor loved the sensation of feeling it vibrate up into his skin. 

Victor smiled, and pressed a kiss on Yuuri's skin, still so warm from sleep. Yuuri stirred under Victor’s touch. Victor kissed him again, this time further down his neck, and felt Yuuri’s breath hitch in his throat. 

“Mmh, Victor,” Yuuri said, smacking his lips. Victor’s smile spread into a grin, and he blinked his eyes open again as he pushed back, just enough to look into Yuuri’s face. The other man still had his eyes closed, his dark lashes fanning out over rosy cheeks. How gorgeous he was. It was almost like a dream. 

Yuuri turned towards him as Victor pushed back to look at him, and Victor laughed as he wrapped his arms around him more tightly, octipussing his body around Victor’s. Something warm and wonderful unfolded at the pit of Victor’s stomach, and he let out a mix of a breath and a sigh.

“Don’t go,” Yuuri said, voice heavy with sleep in the most adorable way, and Victor’s stomach erupted with butterflies, making him want to curl down into the pillow and let out a loud squeal. 

To think mornings could be this cuddly and full of bliss.

“Not going anywhere,” he promised in a whisper, as if too loud of a noise might break the moment. Yuuri hummed, still sleepy clearly, and pressed his lips to the corner of Victor’s mouth. Victor smiled, and turned his face to kiss him properly, their warm lips pressing against each other lazily. Yuuri’s hands caressed their way up his bare back, his fingers feeling wonderfully soft as they moved across his skin. Victor’s own hands moved up into Yuuri’s hair, and Yuuri let out a gasp.

Victor took full advantage of it, tilting his head just so to be able to deepen the kiss. Yuuri followed, and soon the kisses were growing heated, as they licked each other's mouths. Victor felt arousal start to stir in his body from Yuuri’s touches, from the way his hands felt on his body, the way his lips pressed against his own. 

To share this feeling was still foreign, but incredibly lovely, as the need expanded from Victor’s gut up his chest and down into his limbs. It made him roll his hips, tentatively, against Yuuri’s, causing Yuuri to moan. Victor’s cock felt heavy between his legs, filled and erect, and he longed for friction. The memories from last night washed over him, and he let out a shuttering moan, and rolled his hips again. 

“Victor,” Yuuri gasped against his mouth, and Victor whimpered, rolling his hips into Yuuri’s again. Yuuri was hard too, and it made Victor bolder, to feel Yuuri’s need grow with his own. He wanted to share this feeling, to indulge in each other’s pleasure. Yuuri’s hard cock pressing into his hip wasn’t only in the way he Victor felt how much Yuuri wanted him however. It was in the way he kissed him, passionate and mind spinning, making Victor’s fingers tingle. It was in the way he touched Victor, how his hands grew urgent against his skin as he grabbed him, but still cherished him as he caressed over it. 

No one had ever made Victor feel like this before. 

Yuuri’s lips moved down his jaw, and Victor tipped his head back to give him more room, breathy moans falling from his lips. Yuuri hooked his leg around Victor’s hip, and then pushed into him further, rolling them over. Victor landed with his back against the mattress, while Yuuri continued to kiss his way down his throat. 

“Yuuri,” Victor moaned, and he felt Yuuri smirk against his skin, as he grazed his teeth against Victor’s pulse point. “Haaa.”

“You’re so hot,” Yuuri said, his voice still raspy from sleep. “I want to make you feel so good.”

Victor whimpered, and his hips bucked up into nothing. Yuuri was going to drive him mad with want if he continued to speak like that. 

Victor didn’t mind one bit.

“Yuuri, I want you so much,” he said, and then let out a sharp moan as Yuuri’s tongue teased over his nipple. “Oh yes, yes.”

“Mmh,” Yuuri hummed, and Victor looked down, only to be met with Yuuri’s dark gaze, as he wrapped his lips around the sensitive nub, and sucked. 

“Ah!” Victor cried out, and arched into the touch, greedy and longing. He felt blood rush to his cock as pleasure shot through his body. It was so good, so incredibly good. 

Yuuri pulled off with a pop, and Victor looked back down to see Yuuri smirking, as he kissed his way over Victor’s chest, scattered and soft. 

“Did you like that?” Yuuri asked with a dark voice, and Victor nodded, his heart beating roughly in his chest. Yuuri’s smirk grew wider, and then he leaned down over the other nipple. “Good.” 

“Aaah,” Victor moaned, as Yuuri licked over it, teasing his tongue around his nipple over and over, until he finally took it between his lips to suck. Victor moaned again, as one of his hands left the sheets to tangle in Yuuri’s hands. He was trying to find something to ground him before he floated off in pleasure, something that made them feel connected still. Yuuri looked terribly smug as he pulled off, and then he crawled back up Victor’s body, only to claim his lips again. 

“I love the way you sound,” he whispered, and Victor whined, rolling his hips up again. Their cocks brushed together, and Yuuri moaned too, deepening the kiss by licking into Victor’s mouth. 

For a moment they stayed there, kissing deeply as their hips rolled together lazily. Every time their cocks brushed it made sparks race down Victor’s spine to his groin, and he was almost going crazy with how much he ached for friction now. 

Yuuri’s hand caressed down his side, all the way down to his thigh. Victor shivered with anticipation, and let his hand grip tighter at Yuuri’s back. Would it bruise? Victor almost hoped it would. Seeing marks he had made on Yuuri’s body would be a possessive delight, and Victor moaned just from the thought of it. 

Yuuri placed the palm of his hand on the inside of Victor’s thigh, and then carefully pressed down, making Victor spread his legs wide. He was greedy, and wanting, and loved the way Yuuri guided him as he wanted him. Yuuri caressed his fingers back and forth carefully, creating a pleasant tingling feeling, making Victor’s head spin. 

“I want to suck you off. Can I take you into my mouth?” Yuuri asked against his lips, his hand coming to rest at the juncture of Victor’s groin. Victor moaned from the words, and then nodded, gripping Yuuri’s neck tightly to kiss him deeper. He was struggling to find words in the haze of his arousal, but he could barely think of anything more erotic then Yuuri’s lips wrapped around his cock. Yuuri smiled against his lips, and then pulled back from the kiss to press his lips down his throat and sternum. 

Yuuri took his time making his way down to Victor’s erection, and it was equal parts amazing and frustrating. Now that Victor knew what the goal was, he was mad with need for it. He longed for friction, and every second without it drove him a little more crazy. Still, Yuuri’s lips were wonderful against his skin, and Victor melted into the mattress from their touch. 

Yuuri finally made it down to his groin, and well there he placed his other hand in the juncture of his other hip, spreading Victor’s legs widely. Victor let out a gasp, feeling exposed in the best possible way. Yuuri looked at him with such open desire, and Victor adored knowing he too wanted him, just like Victor wanted Yuuri in return. 

“Look at you baby, you look so pretty,” Yuuri said, and Victor whimpered again, his hands fisting tightly in the sheets. Yuuri looked insanely attractive, with his soft hair and without his glasses and his cheeks just as red as his lips. He was bare too, since they had fallen asleep naked, and Victor had the most gorgeous sight of him kneeling naked between his spread legs, Yuuri's cock hanging heavily between his thighs.

“Yuuri, Yuuri please,” Victor pleaded, and Yuuri leaned down to kiss along this groin, slowly making his way down to the base of Victor’s cock. Victor whined, needy and desperate, and then gasped loudly, as Yuuri licked the underside of his erection from root to tip. 

“Fuck,” Victor gasped, and then looked down, as Yuuri’s hand wrapped around the base to lift it from Victor’s stomach, and lick over it again. “Fuck fuck, Yuuri.”

“You taste so good,” Yuuri said, and that was so lewd Victor almost combusted on the spot. “I can’t wait to have you in my mouth.”

With that he leaned down again, and then licked over the red and leaking head of Victor’s length. Victor whimpered again and again, as Yuuri continued to tease his cock with his tongue, leaving kittenish licks over the head, and dipping into the slit to hum at the taste. 

He was not at all fair. 

Yuuri looked him in the eye, and then finally wrapped his lips around Victor’s cock and sucked. Victor had to grip the sheets tightly not to come then and there, so overcome by pleasure it pushed the breath from his lungs. Yuuri didn’t let up however, as he torturously slowly sank down over Victor’s erection, until it hit the back of Yuuri’s throat. Yuuri pulled up then, and slowly started bobbing his head up and down. 

It was great pleasure, but not enough for Victor to tumble over the edge of pleasure. It was as if he was kept right on it, as Yuuri moved up and down his length, teasing the underside with his tongue and sucking on the head, before he sunk down again. 

“Yuuri, Yuuri aaaah,” Victor moaned, his hands making their way into Yuuri’s hair to hold on tight. Yuuri moaned, and Victor’s hips bucked into his mouth from the violent need for more.

Yuuri seemed to see that as a cue, and he started moving his head faster up and down, making the sparks of pleasure spread faster and faster and soon, so soon Victor wouldn’t be able to hold back any longer. 

“Yuuri!” Victor moaned loudly, and then pleasure cracked down his spine like a whip, as he came down Yuuri’s throat, his entire body shaking against the sheets as he did. Yuuri sucked around his cock over and over as Victor came, and Victor convulsed from it, his body shaking even more as he started tingling all over. It was as he could barely pull air down into his lungs, his entire body strung up tight. He stayed on that high of pleasure, until he managed to suck down a breath, and fell back down onto the mattress. 

Yuuri pulled off his cock, soft and sensitive, and Victor twitched, as Yuuri leaned down to kiss his way up Victor’s body again. There was a stark difference to how it had been before, urgent and with promise. Now it was tender, and it made Victor’s breath in his chest catch from a whole other reason than the pleasure Yuuri had given him just moments ago. 

“Yuuri,” he said, his voice hoarse from all the screaming. Yuuri smiled, and Victor opened his arms for him, and immediately pulled him down into a kiss as soon as he was within reach. Yuuri smiled against his lips, and Victor did too, his mind still fuzzy from the euphotic orgasm. 

“Did you like it?” Yuuri asked, and Victor laughed and shook his head in disbelief, leaning up to kiss Yuuri again. 

“You’ve given me the two best orgasms of my life in the span of only a few hours,” he said with a laugh, and Yuuri’s cheeks colored at that, even if he looked terribly pleased by the statement. “I loved it.”

“Good,” Yuuri said, and then leaned down to kiss him again. Victor could feel Yuuri’s erection press into his stomach, and he felt a smile curl on his own lips, as he caressed his way down Yuuri’s chest. Yuuri’s breath hitched, and Victor sucked his lower lip into his mouth playfully, grazing his teeth against it lightly as he let go. 

“Can I touch you?” he asked in a whisper, feeling nerves spread through his chest. Yuuri looked down at him and nodded, and Victor smiled and continued moving his hand down, his other hand cupping Yuuri’s neck to pull him down into another kiss. 

Victor caressed up Yuuri’s erection teasingly, only soft touches that surely wasn’t nearly the kind of friction he needed. He felt Yuuri’s breath catch against his lips, and Victor smiled and deepened the kiss, as he wrapped his hand around Yuuri’s cock. 

“Haa,” Yuuri moaned, and Victor stroked slowly upwards, before moving down, swallowing each and every one of Yuuri’s moans against his lips. Yuuri’s cock was thick, and Victor loved the feeling of it in his hand, as he moved it up and down to give Yuuri pleasure. 

He loved this, being boxed in by Yuuri’s arms and legs, his length in his hand as he felt Yuuri’s pleasure grow in the way he kissed, the way he moaned. Victor sped up his hand, and mapped out all the ways Yuuri seemed to like to be touched. He wanted to know it all, and wanted to be able to shake Yuuri to the core. 

Yuuri started fucking into his fist, and Victor kissed him deeper as he did, letting Yuuri take his pleasure. Yuuri paused after a moment as he gasped, and Victor picked up the pace instead, stroking Yuuri fast and with a flick of his wrist. 

“Victor, Victor haaa,” Yuuri moaned, and then he paused, his whole body going taut, before he spurted come all over Victor’s chest and hand while moaning Victor’s name. Victor let out a gasp as Yuuri’s come hit his skin, and kissed Yuuri deeply, as he shook above him. Victor stroked his hand over Yuuri’s cock until he was soft, and Yuuri let out a long breath after he let him go, before he collapsed on top of him.

“Oof,” Victor gasped, and Yuuri pressed his lips to his cheek and jaw in apology, rolling out the side but taking Victor with him. For a moment neither of them said nothing as they rested side by side, tangled together.

Victor was happy, so very happy, and he didn’t want this moment to pass and be exchanged for the stark reality in the real world.

“Did you enjoy that?” Victor asked as he pushed all the bad thoughts from his mind, and Yuuri opened his eyes to look into Victor’s, taking Victor’s breath as he did. 

“It was amazing,” he said with a soft smile, and Victor felt pride swell in his chest. Victor pressed another kiss to his lips, and cuddled close, as Yuuri pulled the cover over them. 


	17. Chapter 17

It took Victor a moment to fully catch his breath under the storm of emotions that raced through his chest as they stayed cuddled close under the covers. Yuuri’s hand caressed up and down Victor’s bare back, and it was a lovely sensation, so much so that Victor had to start pressing kisses to his chest and collarbones, making his way up Yuuri’s neck until he reached his mouth. Yuuri smiled into the kiss, and Victor did too, his heart jumping in his chest once their eyes met when they pulled apart.

“This has been the best morning,” Yuuri mused, and Victor smiled as he hummed in agreement, pressing a kiss to Yuuri’s cheek.

“It really has,” Victor agreed, and tangled their fingers together under the covers. 

“I’ve never been so happy to have a private cabin,” Yuuri teased, and Victor giggled, beside himself with joy. “It’s nice usually, but right now it’s amazing. Had we been in one of the shared cabins, Phichit would have come to tear us from bed ages ago.”

“I’m glad he hasn’t then,” Victor sighed, very happy to have Yuuri all to himself. It felt greedy, but he couldn’t help it. “Does he usually? Like with the other couples?”

“Oh yeah, we all share a house at the resort we work at during the summer, and Leo and Guang Hong always make sure to pick the room with the locks on the door. Phichit has driven so many of Mila’s hookups out by coming into her room with breakfast,” Yuuri said with a laugh. Victor laughed too as he shook his head, trying to imagine someone being driven from the bed to do the walk of shame by the hookup’s bubbly dance partner. He let out a sigh, and fell back into the pillows. He looked over at Yuuri, and bit into his lower lip. 

“How about you?” he asked, even if it made something uncomfortable pool at the pit of his stomach. “Has Phichit driven any hookups from your bed?”

Yuuri’s hand on his back paused, before it started caressing up and down slowly again. Yuuri looked to the side, his lips pursed, and Victor waited, wondering if he should have left it alone. 

“I- no,” Yuuri started, and turned to look at Victor, his expression conflicted. Victor squeezed their laced fingers tightly, unsure of what to say. “People, they flirt a lot with us dancers, and with me too… but it’s like,” Yuuri paused again, and it made Victor uncomfortable. This was clearly something that was hard for Yuuri to talk about, and it made him worry someone had treated him wrongly.

“Yuuri you don’t have to tell me if it’s….” Victor trailed off, unsure of how to continue. Yuuri pressed a kiss to his forehead, but stayed quiet for a moment longer, before he spoke again.

“It’s like we’re objects, or at least I always felt like that. None of them wanted to get to know me, or know me at all and I… it didn’t interest me then,” he said. He looked down at Victor who tried for a comforting smile, before he pushed up and pressed a kiss to his cheek. 

“You’re more than your body Yuuri, or the sensual way you move when you dance,” Victor said in hopes of having understood him, and Yuuri smiled, and kissed his lips softly and sweet. Still, the uneasiness in Victor’s stomach wouldn’t let up, and when they pulled apart, he couldn’t help but take a deep breath, cuddle close to Yuuri’s side and tucking his face into his neck. 

“You don’t think I’m like that… right?” he asked, and Yuuri squeezed him closer, making Victor close his eyes as he simply breathed him in. “Because I don’t see you like that.”

“I don’t,” Yuuri said, and Victor nodded, pressing his lips to Yuuri’s pulse point. “I know you don’t. You know me too well now. You seem to enjoy spending time with me, for whatever reason.”

The statement made Victor’s chest fill with warmth, and he smiled as he took another deep breath. Still, while he felt he did know Yuuri, there was still so much he didn’t know. He licked his lips, and then pushed back again to rest his head on the pillow, so they were level. 

“Hi pretty boy,” Yuuri said, and Victor smiled widely as Yuuri cupped his cheek. 

“Hi,” Victor answered, and then placed a kiss at the palm of his hand. Yuuri let out a soft laugh, and for a moment he simply looked into Yuuri’s eyes, unable to find the courage he was looking for. Perhaps he had to be brave anyway. “Yuuri, how did you start doing this?”

“Doing what?” Yuuri asked, and Victor spread his hands over his bare chest, feeling Yuuri’s heart beating steadily under his palm. 

“The traveling, and the dance classes,” he said, pausing for just a moment before pushing on. “You clearly have,  _ real dance experience _ ,” he said, as a callback to what Yuuri had said as he saw him dance ballet for the first time. Yuuri chuckled, and his hand caressed down to move up and down Victor's side. 

“I did not sound like that,” Yuuri said with a smile, and Victor chuckled. 

He had totally sounded just like that.

“I’ve danced most of my life. I did ballet mostly when I was younger… my mother’s best friend is a prima, she owns a dance studio. I loved going there when I was younger, and it really sparked a love for dance in me,” Yuuri said, and Victor nodded. 

“I can relate to that,” he said, and Yuuri nodded too, smiling even if he looked slightly sad. It made Victor’s heart ache. He really didn’t like it when Yuuri looked sad.

“Yeah, it makes me feel so free, and it helps when…,” Yuuri trailed off, and even though Victor desperately wanted to push, he didn’t dare to. “Anyway. We had been practicing for this show, and no matter how much I practiced I just couldn’t get it right. The more time passed, the more it really got to me. All the joy of dancing bled out of me, even if I still loved it deeply.”

“Yuuri,” Victor said, and then kissed his palm again, before grabbing him tighter. He had never felt fully like that, but he knew of the pressure of ballet and how it could weigh you down. There was always someone else ready to step in if you didn’t measure up, if you weren’t perfection and grace fully. 

It was one of the small reliefs Victor felt as he stopped a month and a half ago, since it gave him the chance to breathe. 

It hadn’t lasted very long however, and the sensation had soon morphed into a hollow aching in his chest instead. He had longed desperately for the movement of his body, to tell stories with his dance. 

“I left the production. Phichit and I’ve known each other since we were kids. We met at ballet class actually, but he soon moved on to take all sorts of classes. I took a few different too, but not nearly the variety that he did. We did do a breakdance one together in high school though,” Yuuri said with a fond smile, as the memory seemed to play in his mind. Victor promised himself he would have to ask Yuuri to break dance for him later, because it sounded insanely hot. 

“Phichit went to a summer camp with his parents one year, and they had dance instructors there. The next year, once he was eighteen, he went back and started teaching, and then he started traveling and this group formed around him. I think he had been doing it two summers and one winter, when he came home for a short visit,” Yuuri continued, and his gaze was far away, as he told the story. Victor held him close, hanging off every word. 

“He asked if I wanted to come with him, and I agreed,” Yuuri said, and Victor couldn't help but curl his fingers on Yuuri’s chest from the hollowness of that. Perhaps Victor was pouring too much of himself into it, but he knew the pain of walking away from something you loved so deeply, and it wasn’t something he’d ever want someone as amazing as Yuuri to feel. 

“Why did you?” Victor asked, his voice sounding so small even to him. Yuuri looked down then and caught his gaze, and a smile grazed his lips as he cupped Victor’s cheek again and turned fully towards him. 

“I was scared,” he said earnestly, and Victor sucked in a breath under the heaviness of the situation. “Of never measuring up, to my own expectations or everyone else's. This was easy. It was a break and I could just come back after the next summer or the next winter… I haven’t been home to visit since, because it makes it final, like I’ll admit that I actually did quit.”

“Do you have family, there in your hometown?” Victor asked, soaking up each and every new fact about Yuuri like a sponge. He longed so to know about him, to fill the knowledge gaps of his mind. 

“Yes, my parents run an inn there, and I have an older sister who has a business degree,” Yuuri said with a soft smile. “I still talk to them every now and then, but I don’t dare to visit… I don’t want them to think I failed.”

“You didn’t fail,” Victor said, and Yuuri scrunched up his nose, clearly not agreeing with him. “You didn’t!”

“I wasn’t very successful or brave either,” Yuuri said, and Victor bit the inside of his cheek as he considered. 

“I think you were, to leave something that you’ve done most of your life but don’t find the joy in anymore,” Victor said, and Yuuri blinked down at him. “I think it’s very brave.”

“I ran away from it more than walked though,” Yuuri said, but he looked much less sad now, so Victor would consider that very small a win. “Don’t get me wrong, this has been so much fun, even with people like Anya and Ivan souring the experience. Even with the small starvation in the spring and autumn months. Living like this is so much fun, and the other dancers are so amazing. The crew is so warm and loving, and we’ve seen so many fun places and I’ve learned so much. But still, I very much miss ballet, and now it’s too late.”

“No, Yuuri,” Victor said, shaking his head frantically. “You’re still an amazing dancer, amazing ballet dancer. I’ve seen it.” Victor’s heart was rushing in his chest, and Yuuri smiled even as he shook his head. 

“I’m too old,” he said, and Victor shook his head again. They hadn’t discussed age, but Yuuri couldn’t be that old, he was sure of it. Lilia had danced until she was forty, and Yuuri was nowhere near that age.

“No,” Victor said determinately, and Yuuri shook his head this time, and then pressed a kiss to Victor’s pursed lips. “Yuuri, I’m serious.”

“Are you going back to it?” Yuuri asked, and Victor knew it was a distraction and change of topic. Still if Yuuri didn’t want to talk about it anymore, Victor wouldn’t push him. He would not forget however. He let it go for now, and then slowly nodded.

“I think I want to… or I know I do,” he admitted, and Yuuri smiled, soft and far too sweet. “I just need to figure out how. I think my father might stop talking to me if I do. I’ll have to stop college.”

“You should do what makes you happy,” Yuuri said, and Victor pinched his lips together to stop the admittance that Yuuri made him happier than anything ever had from tumbling out. He didn’t need to add that into the emotional mix after all. “Does dancing ballet make you happy?”

“It does, dancing makes me very happy,” Victor said with a nod, and Yuuri nodded too. “How about you, does dancing make you happy?”

Yuuri seemed to consider this for a moment, his eyes growing unfocused as he let his mind run away with him. Victor watched, and then felt warmth bloom in his chest as a smile spread on Yuuri’s lips, wide and earnest. 

“It makes me very happy,” he agreed, and Victor smiled too, having to press his lips to Yuuri’s cheek to quell the bubbly feeling in his chest. 

“Good,” Victor said against his skin. “You’re very, very good at it.”

“I’m glad you think so,” Yuuri said with a laugh, and Victor rolled his eyes at him, before rolling them over, so he was perched in Yuuri’s lap. Yuuri smiled widely, and ran his hands up Victor's sides, and then down his chest, and then back up, as if trying to map out every inch of him. It felt really good. 

“Victor,” he said, and Victor hummed, so very focused on the feeling of Yuuri’s hands caressing over Victor’s skin. “Thank you for listening to me.”

Victor opened his eyes, and met Yuuri’s gaze. There was something open and raw in his expression, and Victor’s heart ached in the most wonderful way.

Was it too early, to love someone after just seventeen days of knowing them?

“Anytime,” Victor promised in a whisper, overcome by his own realisation. He leaned down to kiss Yuuri’s lips, long and lingering sweet, as his mind spun. He couldn’t think about it now. He couldn’t admit it, so it was better to say nothing. Still it was lovely, to love someone as wonderful as Yuuri. 

He pushed back, and Yuuri blinked his eyes open to look at him. “Do you want to get up and dance, we can do ballet?” Victor asked, and Yuuri’s mouth spread into a grin, and then he pulled Victor down firmer, kissing him deeper until Victor’s mind became dizzy. 


	18. Chapter 18

The music of the party blared through the speakers, as Victor hung off of Yuuri’s frame. The beat pulsated through him, and Yuuri moved them in time with it, their bodies grinding together closely. Yuuri’s leg was between his, and Victor caressed his hands down Yuuri’s back and cupped his ass to pull them closer together. Yuuri let out a gasp, and leaned down to press his lips to Victor's exposed throat. A breathy moan escaped Victor's lips, drowned out by the music. Yuuri still seemed to have heard it though, from the way his lips curled into a smile against his skin. 

The staff cabin was filled to the brim, bodies moving in time with the music alongside them. Yuuri only had eyes for him however, dark and promising in a way that made Victor's stomach flutter with anticipation. He loved the way Yuuri’s hands felt on his body, how his looks could go from sweet to sinful and lingering. 

He felt seen under Yuuri’s attention, in a way he didn’t feel anyone else had. Yuuri paid attention; to the way Victor acted, what he said, who he was. It was a lovely feeling, and insanely attractive. Victor pushed himself even closer to Yuuri, leaving a hot trail of kisses up his throat as their hips rocked in time with the music. 

He wished this could go on forever. 

Even though he knew it couldn’t. 

The song came to an end and Yuuri shifted, just enough so he could whisper in Victor’s ear: “Let’s get something to drink.”

Victor pulled back and nodded, and then Yuuri’s hands left his body in favour of taking hand in his, leading Victor off the dance floor. Yuuri grabbed them both water bottles, and then pulled Victor with him to a set of couches, where Mila, Chris and Phichit were sitting, the latter in his boyfriend’s lap. There wasn’t much room, so Yuuri pulled Victor down to straddle his thighs. 

Victor's stomach swooped in the most wonderful way, and he had to dip down to kiss Yuuri, sweet and lingering.

“There we go,” Phichit laughed, and Victor giggled, even as Yuuri rolled his eyes while still smiling. He curled an arm around Victor’s waist to pull him closer, and Victor loved it. “Perfect fit.”

“Mhm,” Chris agreed, and Victor promptly said nothing, even as his cheeks flamed. Chris turned to Mila then, who had moved to sit on the coffee table before them, probably so she could see them better. “So, did you manage to get it all out?”

“Get what out?” Yuuri asked, before taking a sip of his water. Mila and Phichit exchanged a look, and Phichit got a dangerous gleam in his eyes. 

“There was wine spilled on the floor in the main dance studio this afternoon when me and Mila came in to prepare for dance class. We were just telling Chris about it,” Phichit said, and Victor’s eyebrows rose. 

“Wine?” he asked, confused. “Could someone from the ball have snuck in and spilled? Since they’re never locked?”

“Oh, yeah that’s what I thought too,” Phichit said, and then looked over at Mila with a knowing look on his face. “But then we remembered…”

“We locked all the dance studios before the ball, so no one would come in and wreak havoc,” she filled in. “Since we’re the ones that have to clean it up.”

“Who has a key then?” Victor asked in intrigue, and Phichit shrugged. 

“Anyone with a staff keycard really, but I doubt any of the staff would have gone there just to drink. They don’t really go over to the complex unless it’s work related,” he said. 

“Yeah, that’s true we spend enough time there as it is,” Chris agreed, and Phichit nodded.

“And all the dancers worked at the ball, and I doubt any of us would have done it, since we’re the ones who have to clean it too!” Mila said. “It was a pain getting it out of the hardwood floor after it had laid there overnight.”

“Who was it then?” Yuuri asked, and Victor leaned his head on his shoulder, just because he could. 

“Well, Hikaru had told Minami, who told Chris,” Phichit said with a far too knowing gleam in his eye. He seemed to very much enjoy the gossip. 

“That Kanako had snuck out from cleaning the bar early, after Anya had come by,” Chris filled in, a mischievous smile on his face. 

“Really?” Victor asked, with wide eyes, pushing himself up from his resting place. Was Anya really that bold, after her father had brought it up with all of them? She must not expect getting caught. 

“And there was wine missing,” Phichit added, and Victor’s mouth fell open in shock. He looked back to Yuuri, who simply shook his head, looking like he was so done with the whole situation. 

“What? She almost got caught stealing wine already and she’s just going to continue?” Victor asked, and Mila laughed as Phichit shook his head.

“Clearly she thinks herself above getting caught,” Chris said with a laugh, and Victor shook his head in disbelief. He would never have the nerve… and his father thought he was rebellious. 

“Yes, has she never seen any crime series? You’re not supposed to create a signature, it’ll make it so much easier to track,” Phichit pointed out.

“You watch too many of those horrid things,” Yuuri pointed out, and Phichit gasped in offence. 

“I do not!” he protested, and then looked back to Chris, who was clearly fighting a laugh. “Chris!”

“You really do,” Mila agreed, and Phichit gasped again, clearly for show now. “You can name like all of them. It’s not healthy.”

“This is slander!” Phichit exclaimed by throwing his hands up in the air, and then the conversation moved from the wine stealing to other topics as Victor's mind spun. He couldn’t believe Anya kept doing this. Why? What kind of pressure was she under from her father not to be able to just buy the wine and date whomever she wanted? Was she simply doing it all for the thrill?

Then there was Georgi. Victor sighed internally, and pressed his face firmer into Yuuri’s neck. He needed to tell his brother… in some way he needed to tell him about Anya and what she was doing. He knew that his brother was fully in love with her, and wouldn’t be surprised if he had planned to propose to her before their stay was over. 

He let out a long breath, and rested his head on Yuuri’s shoulder again, only half listening to the conversation. Yuuri’s hand carded through his hair, and he closed his eyes from the sensation. He didn’t want to break this bubble of peace and go back to the world where his father yelled at him, his brother treated him like a child, and he sat with fake smiles at dinners with strangers while he wished he was somewhere else. 

Still, his time with Yuuri was limited, with all of them really. He needed to try to make things right for his brother. He needed to try, even if he probably wouldn’t believe him. Still, he refused to give up Yuuri in the process. He wanted to hold onto him for as long as he could. 

_________________________ 

Victor felt nerves roll in his stomach as he stepped into the lobby, unable to shake the uneasiness from his system. He had texted his father that morning and asked if he could come to dinner. He and Yuuri had discussed it beforehand, cuddled close under the covers, where Victor felt more safe than he did anywhere else. He was surprised that his father had agreed so easily, since he had expected it to come with some conditions. Victor didn’t think they would really resolve anything right now, but he knew that his father wouldn’t want to cause speculations between his friends. If he knew him correctly, Yakov had probably told them Victor was sick again when he didn’t come to dinner last night. 

It would be a good bridge, an olive branch reached out from him. Then when they were up in the hotel room Victor could tell Georgi about Anya, and he could decide for himself what to do with that information. 

Yuuri had looked worried as he got dressed, but supported him, and god could Victor be any more in love with him? As he stepped into the restaurant now, all he wanted was to turn and rush back to the old dance studio and Yuuri’s safe embrace.

He wished Yuuri could be with him too, to hold his hand so it would stop trembling. Still, that would definitely cause an uproar, and even though Victor doubted his father had figured out there was anything between him and Yuuri more than dancing, he knew that his father wouldn’t approve. 

Yuuri was a dancer after all. 

He was greeted at the table like he always was, and like he had expected he was asked by Ivan if he was feeling better. It seemed to be only Ivan and Anya at their table today, the Leroys nowhere to be seen. It was good, maybe then the subject of the dancing wouldn’t be brought up. Victor really didn’t need to start a fight with his father before the dinner even began.

The company conversed, which meant Georgi flirted with Anya who giggled and flipped her hair. Victor threw a look over to the bar, and while he didn’t know Kanako personally, he kept seeing her throw glances towards the table, her expression unreadable. Yakov talked to Ivan about this and that as they usually did, and Victor sat on needles, hoping the dinner would be over soon. 

Time seemed to tick on forever, and the food tasted stale in his mouth as he chewed, washing it down with water. Chris kept giving him sympathetic glances, which Victor wasn’t sure made him feel better or worse. It was so obvious that he couldn’t be himself here, because of the stark difference between how he had felt the night before, sitting on Yuuri’s lap on a stained couch at a staff party, and here where he had to hide half of himself to be allowed at the table. 

“Yes I really need to do something about it now that it’s the third time it’s happened,” Ivan said with a sigh, and Victor perked up, his heart starting to beat faster in his chest. “It could be separate occasions but I doubt it.”

“Yes you’re right,” Yakov agreed with a hum. “Have you any clue to who it might be who has stolen the wine?”

That had Victor’s full attention, and he glanced over to Anya, who was still turned towards Georgi, but sat unnaturally still. Had she heard it too?

“Yes, there was one of the staff cards that had been swiped at the spa that first evening, when the first wine bottles went missing,” Ivan said, and that had Anya turning towards her father, blinking her wide eyes. Victor’s blood was rushing in his ears. Was this it? Would Ivan really out his daughter like this at the dinner table? “One of the dancers, a Yuuri Katsuki.”

Victor’s heart sank into the pit of his stomach, and the words Yuuri had said as he retold the story of how Sara had gotten injured echoed in his mind. 

_ So she called me, and I had to break into the spa to go get her, and she couldn’t walk.  _

Oh no. 

“You know how I feel about dancers,” Yakov said and Victor felt panic surge in his body, making sweat break out on the palm of his hands as his breath became short. He had never anticipated this. “And the last one had been stolen at the ball? I know the dancers were there too.”

“Yes exactly, it must be him then,” Ivan decided with a hum, and Victor couldn't breathe under the crushing weight of panic in his chest. “I will have to fire him. A shame. The guests really enjoy his classes… and the performances too.”

“Wait!” Victor exclaimed, and Ivan looked over at him with wide eyes. Victor couldn’t look at his father, because he was sure he would find no support there. Still, he needed to say it. He couldn’t sit here and hear Ivan come to the conclusion Yuuri was a thief when it was the farthest thing from the truth. Victor remembered how hard Yuuri and the other dancers worked to earn that money to survive, and he would be damned if Yuuri was fired and without income for something he hadn't done. 

“What is it Victor, have you heard something?” Ivan asked as he sat up straighter, and Victor rubbed his hands on his pants, gripping the fabric tightly to keep them from trembling. 

“I know Yuuri didn’t do it,” he said, his voice wavering. Damn, he was too emotional, he needed to calm down. Ivan’s eyebrows rose, but he stayed quiet as he waited. Victor’s eyes darted to Anya, who looked like she was about as panicked as Victor was as well. “I’m sure he didn’t steal any of that wine.”

“How can you know?” Ivan asked, and Victor licked his lips, his breaths trembling. 

“I know because I was with him. The night after the ball I was… I was with him all night,” he admitted, his heart hammering roughly in his chest. Ivan’s eyes went wide, and Victor felt his cheeks flush from the implications, but he didn’t care. “He doesn’t even drink wine.”

“Victor,” Yakov said, sounding shocked and breathless. Victor turned to him with wide eyes, before looking back to Ivan.    
“How about the other two thefts then? Were you with him then too?” Ivan asked, and Victor swallowed, before he turned to look at Anya. 

Fuck it.

“Why don’t you ask Anya about it,” Victor said slowly, and Ivan looked to Anya too, who sputtered, the color of her face going from pale to shock-red within seconds.

“Anya?” Ivan inquired and Anya looked away, squirming in her seat. “What does he mean by that?”

“I have no idea,” she said as she shook her head, but Victor couldn’t stop now, his heart beating up his throat, making him nauseous. 

“Ask her about breaking into the spa and wounding one of the dancers and then leaving her there, and then starting a relationship with another one in the staff in the bar, without so much as turning back. And then breaking into a dance studio after the ball and spilling wine all over the floor and leaving it for the dancers to clean up,” Victor said in a rush, feeling anger rise in his chest as he did. He sucked in a breath as he was done, the sound of his own voice ringing in his ears. 

Afterwards, everything went very quiet and Ivan simply looked at his daughter, before he stood. 

“I’m sorry gentlemen, I think me and my daughter need to have a conversation in private,” he said, and Anya stood without a word, and followed him out. 

Victor let out a long breath, and slumped back into his chair, unable to meet neither his father nor his brother’s eyes. 


	19. Chapter 19

Victor couldn't find Yuuri anywhere. He looked in the old dance studio, downstairs in the apartment, over at the staff cabin, in the dancers’ cabin and in the dance studios. He was nowhere to be seen. Victor cursed himself for never getting his phone number. It just didn’t occur to him, and now he was running around like crazy trying to find him. It appeared it didn’t matter however. Once Victor came over to the dancer’s cabin, Phichit was able to call Yuuri, but received no answer, which only made Victor worry even more.

When he had finally run out of ideas, he came back to the old dance studio and walked down to the apartment. He was exhausted, both from all the tension and drama at dinner, and from running around in the snow, that just seemed to be pouring down, heavy flakes piling onto his hat and shoulders as he rushed between buildings. He shrugged out of his outdoor clothing, and fell into bed. At some point Yuuri had to come back here, and he would just have to wait until then. 

He woke from someone gently caressing his fingers over his cheek, and he fluttered his eyes open, only to be met with Yuuri’s warm gaze.

“Hi baby,” he said softly, and Victor’s chest flooded with warmth, and he pushed up to a sitting position. Yuuri was still in his dance clothes, sitting at the edge of the bed. His hand fell from Victor’s face as Victor sat up, and for a moment they were quiet, as Victor tried to rub the sleep from his eyes.

“I couldn’t find you,” Victor said, blinking as he tried to get his eyes to focus. “I need to tell you that-”   
“I know,” Yuuri said quietly, and Victor frowned, and Yuuri smiled so softly it made Victor’s heart ache. “I know you stood up for me.”

“How?” Victor asked, shuffling closer as he felt his mind start to catch up. Victor hadn’t told anyone why he was looking for Yuuri, so no one could've told him. Yuuri looked down, and laced their fingers together. 

“Ivan came to find me, he brought me over to his office,” Yuuri said, and suddenly Victor’s pulse started racing, as his stomach sank. A distant memory came to the forefront of his mind, something he had forgotten along the way. It seemed like an eternity ago, when he had eavesdropped on the staff meeting all those weeks ago. Still, he didn’t want to believe it. He didn’t want to think that even as he tried to do things right, he would have ruined them.

“Why?” he asked, and Yuuri clenched his jaw, for just a moment as he swallowed, before he looked up to meet Victor’s gaze. 

“He fired me,” he said calmly as his brows pinched, and Victor felt the words like a punch in the gut, from anger at Ivan and Anya but mostly at himself for getting so carried away. “I have to leave tonight.”

The anger quieted for the shock that washed over Victor, static ringing in his ears.

“Tonight?” he asked, and Yuuri nodded, his expression so calm and collected. How could he be so calm and collected? “But- that- There’s basically a snow storm outside!”

“That was the deal,” Yuuri said, his thumbs caressing over Victor’s knuckles. Victor tried to breathe, tried to think. He had to be able to fix it. He had to… but hadn’t he only made it worse when he tried to make it right? Would he only create more trouble if he tried again?

“What deal?” Victor asked, and curled towards Yuuri, who leaned in too, even if they weren’t touching.

“If I leave tonight, Ivan won’t fire Sara, and the group won’t lose any income, except the one I would have earned from now until the end of March,” Yuuri explained, and Victor shook his head in frustration because it really wasn’t fair. It wasn’t fair at all. “I think he felt bad, for what Anya did to Sara, and this was a middle ground.”

“Have you told the others?” Victor asked, and Yuuri nodded slowly, untangling one of their hands to caress a stray hair behind Victor’s ear. Victor’s free hand instantly curled around his waist. He needed to be close, needed to hold onto Yuuri now that he was slipping away. 

“I’ve just come from there,” Yuuri said with a nod. “They weren’t happy, but we all decided this was the best way to go about it for now. For the group.”

_ What about for  _ **_you_ ** _? _ Victor wanted to ask.  _ What about for me? What about for  _ **_us_ ** _?  _

He didn’t however. He simply let out a slow shaky breath, and fought the tears that burned in his eyes. Yuuri didn’t need to comfort him right now. This was all Victor’s fault after all.

“So I did it for nothing? I tried so hard and you lost your job anyway, I did it for nothing?” he asked, feeling that anger rise in his chest again. Yuuri cupped his cheeks, and leaned forward until their foreheads touched. For a moment they sat there, and simply breathed.

“Not for nothing. You stood up for me, you were so brave. You spoke the truth in there and it was so amazing,” he said, and Victor held on tighter around his waist as he tried to push the anger down. Yuuri was giving him too much credit. “You weren’t embarrassed about being with me.”

Victor startled back, just a few centimeters, only so he could look into Yuuri’s eyes.

“Of course I wasn’t,” he said, holding on tighter to Yuuri’s sides. Victor would never be embarrassed by such a thing. He was so proud that Yuuri had even put in the effort in being with him like this, even if it was for a limited time. “Didn’t I tell you? You’re  _ everything _ .”

“I’ll miss you so much,” Yuuri said, and then reached up to press a kiss to Victor’s forehead, sweet and tender. 

Victor didn’t cry. 

__________________

They packed up Yuuri’s possessions together. There wasn’t much, just clothes and a couple of books, and winter equipment. They were quiet as they did so, only a few questions and instructions as they moved through the space. For each passing moment Victor’s heart ached even more for the upcoming separation. He had never fully lost anything before, and how he was going to have to live without something that brought him more comfort and joy than anything else he had encountered. 

As they started carrying the bags across the snow covered yard that separated the old dance cabin and the staff parking lot, Victor considered asking Yuuri if he could come with him. He wanted to, desperately. He didn’t want to be without Yuuri and in this moment he didn’t care about his family, about university, about dance or any of it. He hurt, as if there was an open wound in his chest, bleeding, and the only solution was to ask Yuuri if he could join him. 

The only problem was, he wasn’t sure if Yuuri would agree. Victor was a coward. He could still cling to a false sense of hope that Yuuri would have wanted him with him, instead of asking, and being rejected. Yuuri’s indifference to him might shatter Victor completely. They had never made any plans longer than the following day. They had never promised each other more than these fleeting moments in time, and even if Victor wanted more,  _ so much more _ , he didn’t know if Yuuri did. 

He shouldn’t ruin this by having Yuuri have to reject him as well. Victor had already spoiled enough as it was. 

Yuuri’s car was covered in snow, and Victor was happy for the extra set of gloves Yuuri lent him as they dug out the car in silence. There wasn't much to say now. Victor wanted to apologize again, but he knew Yuuri would dismiss it. It didn’t matter if Yuuri didn’t think it was his fault they were in this situation, Victor still blamed himself. 

Far too soon they managed to get the snow off, and together they piled Yuuri’s bags into the car, Victor throwing the gloves in as the final thing he did. His heart started beating even rougher against his ribs as Yuuri closed the trunk, and Victor turned to him, wishing to find anything to say.

“So,” Yuuri said, and kicked some snow with his shoe. Victor turned fully towards him, and Yuuri did too. The snow was still rushing down, big flakes coating their heads and shoulders. Some landed on Yuuri’s glasses, and Victor smiled towards him from how cute that was, even if there was no happiness in his chest. 

“So,” Victor echoed, and shrugged. “I guess we surprised everyone.”

“We did,” Yuuri said with a laugh, but it was hollow and stale. They looked into each other's eyes for a moment, and then Victor tipped his head forward, until it butted into Yuuri’s chest. Yuuri chuckled, the sound blanketed by the snow around them. “I don’t regret any of it.”

“Neither do I,” Victor promised, even if it seemed like an understatement. He would treasure this experience with Yuuri for longer than he could imagine, he was sure of it. He had held such a huge impact on Victor’s life in such a short time, and he would never want to be without this experience, even if it hurt more than anything he had ever experienced before. 

And Yuuri hadn’t even left yet.

Victor pulled back and looked up, and Yuuri looked at him with such tenderness it made Victor’s heart break. He pushed up as he gripped Yuuri’s jacket tightly, something in his chest aching to connect them, to create something he could hold onto. 

Yuuri met his lips, but it was short and unsatisfying, before he pulled back. Victor felt unsettled, as Yuuri caressed some snow from his cheek. 

“I have to go,” Yuuri said, and Victor nodded as he straightened, the pain in his chest exploding and spreading out into his limbs. It felt like half a kiss, and Victor wanted to grip him tighter, to pull him back to kiss him again - properly. He didn’t though. He let Yuuri slip out of his grasp, his fingers trembling as they let go. 

Yuuri’s smile was off, and Victor couldn’t even bring himself to try to smile, as he took a step back.

“Okay,” he said, pushed out between pinched lips. Yuuri nodded, and increased the distance between them. 

“I’ll see you,” Yuuri said, and Victor nodded, even though he knew it was a lie. He looked another step back, and Yuuri nodded too, before he turned and got into the car. Victor backed away fully from it, and then watched as Yuuri backed out, and without looking back, drove away.

It wasn’t until after the car was gone from sight that the first tear fell from Victor’s eye and tumbled down his cheek. Victor sucked in a breath, his chest aching in a way he had never felt before. Another tear fell, and then another, and then another, until there was a constant stream of them rushing down his cheeks as he tried to cling to anything that could hold him upright. 

There wasn’t.

Victor fell, his knees hitting the ground as he became limp with grief. He sat there, down in the cold snow that soaked into his pants and his bare hands within moments. It didn’t matter. The cold could never hurt the way the crushing pain in his chest did.

Yuuri was gone.

And Victor would never see him again.

He wasn’t sure how long he sat there, trembling from the way grief coursed through his body, the way the cold seeped into his clothes. He cried and cried, until it felt like there weren't any tears left. Still, he couldn’t stop, the dry sobs rattling his chest as he pushed off the snow.

He had no idea where to go. 

He couldn’t go back to the old dance studio, because too many memories from Yuuri lingering in every millimeter of the place. Ivan would surely come to check if Yuuri had gone, and Victor did not want to be there for that. He couldn’t go to the dancers, because it was his fault this had all happened. If he had just kept quiet, if he had just found some other way to convince Ivan that Yuuri hadn’t stolen the wine, Yuuri wouldn’t have been fired.

He couldn't bring himself to go back to his father and brother either. He didn’t want them to see how broken he was, nor could he handle a lecture on what he should have done or not done. He could already hear it now, the way his father would reprimand him about it. He was in enough pain as it was.

He stumbled into the complex, and as the warm air hit his face he sucked in a breath. He looked to the side, and then stumbled further into the activity corridor, before finding his way into a dance studio. He door fell shut behind him, and Victor leaned back against it, and then slowly sank down to the floor in the dark. 

He was so tired, exhausted even. He had no idea how late it was but it must be well over midnight. Victor should find somewhere he could sleep, but he doubted he would be able to find any rest. All he could think about was Yuuri’s smile, and the way he held him when they danced, and when they made love, and the way he had looked as he pulled back from Victor to go to his car. 

Another round of tears started trailing down his cheeks, and Victor let it overcome him again, as the pain from Yuuri leaving filled his chest once more. He didn’t know what to do, he felt so incredibly lost. 

His hand trembled as he reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone, and thumbed through his contacts. He pressed call, and then leaned forward to rest his face against his knees as he continued to cry. 

Several rings went though, but Victor waited, his sobs echoing against the walls of the dance studio as he did. 

Then, finally, someone picked up. 

“Vitya?”

Victor sucked in a breath, and pushed through the trembling of his chest to speak.

“Hi Mama.” 


	20. Chapter 20

“Vitya?”

“Hi Mama,” Victor answered, and his voice sounded so ragged and broken he could barely stand it. He shouldn’t have to call and wake her up in the middle of the night like this, but he couldn’t stop himself. He missed her so much, and he needed to talk to someone, who he knew might understand. 

“Vitya, are you hurt? What happened?” Lilia asked, and Victor let out another sob as tears continued to rush down his face. He had no idea how to answer that. He knew what she meant. That she meant if he was in danger or at the hospital, but at the same time, he was very much hurt.

“I’m sorry to wake you,” he said instead, and a telltale  _ tsk _ came through the receiver. He felt something warm spark in his chest from it, even in all the hurt. She always did that sound, when she thought he was being silly over something. 

“Nonsense, you are clearly upset. You’re allowed to call me whenever you need me,” she said, and Victor could hear some shuffling in the back, and could only assume she was getting out of bed. 

_ Ugh, he was the worst. _

“Still,” he said, sniffling and Lilia hummed into the receiver, before the line fell quiet for a moment. Victor took a deep breath and tried to get the crying to stop, but it seemed to be in vain. He wasn’t as panicked any more, but everything still felt incredibly heavy, and tears still streamed down his cheeks. 

“Where are you? Do you need me to come get you?” she asked, and Victor let out a wet chuckle, even if it did make him sad as well, realising she didn’t even know where they were. He hadn’t even spoken to her since the end of October, when he told her he needed to take a break from ballet because of his father’s broken heart. 

“I’m in the Catskills, the ski resort dad’s friend owns,” Victor said, and Lilia let out an understanding  _ oh _ . “I don’t think you want to drive six hours to get me.”

“If it will get you to stop crying, I most certainly would, I’ll have you know,” she said, and that made the tears stream down his cheeks with new force, the loss of Yuuri heavy on his mind. “Now, will you tell me what has happened? Is it your father?”   
Victor tipped his head back, and let out a long breath as he tried to calm the tears. He wasn’t fully sure he succeeded. Every time the image of Yuuri passed in his mind it felt like a stab to the heart, and each time it made him ache with it. 

“It’s such a mess,” Victor admitted in a quiet whisper, and Lilia hummed again. “I don’t even know where to start with it all.”

“That does sound troublesome,” Lilia said slowly, and Victor let out a slow breath as he nodded, even though she couldn’t see him. “Then maybe I could say something first, while you gather your thoughts?” 

“Okay,” Victor agreed even though that terrified him. The last time they spoke, she had been disappointed in him. She had wanted him to invest more into the dance company, and he had let her down. He never meant to, but it had all become too much. He missed it now, but he wasn’t ready for a lecture about it right now, with his chest split open and his feelings so raw. 

“I need to apologize,” she said, and Victor paused, letting out a slow breath in surprise. “I know I put too much pressure on you, at a very delicate time. I shouldn't have.”

“Mama,” Victor said, and a new wave of tears flooded down his cheeks at her words, so calming in all the raging pain.

“No, I mean it,” she pushed, that sharpness she always held when instructing coming through in her voice. Victor didn’t even think she knew she did it. “It was not fair. To be honest, I was frightened to lose you. I do think you are talented to focus on ballet full time, do not misunderstand me, but you needed me to be a parent. I acted out of fear, I am sorry.”

“Mama,” Victor said again, the tightness he had carried over this unfolding in his chest. He had felt so guilty about walking away, but he had struggled so with which path to choose. Everyone seemed to tug him in different directions, and no one seemed to fit what he wanted. “I miss you.”

“I miss you too, Vitya. So much,” Lilia said, and Victor tipped his head forward again, resting his forehead against his knees. He had stopped crying now, but there was still a storm of emotions in his chest. “Now, how has the Catskills been, have you spent much time on the slopes?”

“Not really,” Victor admitted with a huffed out laughter, feeling his lips twitch up slightly at the memories of sneaking around, pretending to be skiing when in reality he had been in a dance studio, just like he was. It was a little funny, to think that Yakov had taken him so far from dancing, and dancing had found him anyway.

“What have you been doing instead then?” she asked, and Victor hummed, drying his tears with his sleeve.

“Dancing,” he admitted, and Lilia made a surprised sound. “I’ve been doing a lot of dancing.”

“At a ski resort?” she asked, and Victor let out another laugh at her surprised tone. “Well you always were inventive.” 

“They actually have almost as many studios as you do, and a big auditorium,” Victor said, looking up at the dance studio he had vacated for his break down. It was still fully dark, the only light coming from the lamppost outside of the window. 

“Really? That’s surprising,” Lilia mused. “Do they have ballet classes then?”

Victor paused and bit into his lower lip. He wasn’t sure how she would react to him having danced something other than ballet. She had sold her soul to the dance-form decades ago, and Victor knew fully of her commitment to it. 

“No, they do not,” Victor admitted, and waited for her reaction. The line was quiet for a moment, and then he continued. “It’s been really fun anyway.”

“Vitya, as long as you enjoy dancing, I won’t care what you dance,” she said, and Victor let out another long breath of relief. “What kind of dance is it?”

“Ballroom,” Victor admitted, biting into his lower lip again. 

“Oh, that was surprising but it’s a very good art form when done correctly,” she said, and Victor nodded, digging deep into the pit of his stomach to dig out courage. 

“We came second in a competition,” he said. “It was a fairly big one, you can probably find it online.”

“Oh really? Hold on then,” she said, and then there was more shuffling as she moved to her computer. She asked for the name of the competition once she was there, and Victor gave it. She found it quite easily, and promised she promised to watch it later. “This is a big one Vitya, well done.”

“Thank you, it was a lot of fun,” he admitted, and Lilia hummed again. 

“So, Yasha has decided to let you dance then?” Lilia asked, and Victor bit into his lower lip again, uncurling his legs to stretch them before him. “Just not ballet?”

“No,” he answered earnestly, his heart beating a little too roughly in his chest at the thought of the web of lies and his father finding out about him dancing, the argument at the ball. 

“Ah,” Lilia said in understanding. “So, is this the reason for the tears? Has your father been rude and unthinking about his actions?”

A sensation to defend his father surged up in Victor's chest, even if he knew it was true. His father often spoke before thinking, and compromising wasn’t really something he understood. Still, he was only a minor part of Victor’s pain at the moment.

“No I- it’s very messy,” Victor admitted, and Lilia hummed again. “He’s not the full reason I’m crying, no.”   
“Tell me about it then, start at the beginning,” Lilia prompted, and Victor took a deep breath and did as told. He told her about having gotten to know the staff, leaving out the parts about the sensual dancing because really there were things she didn’t need to know. Next he told her about Ivan and Anya, and about Georgi and the flirting. Then, he moved on the story of Anya and Sara, and the way Sara had gotten hurt. Lilia sucked in a breath from it, and Victor could relate.

A dancer was always only one injury away from retirement after all. 

Then, came his offer to help, and how he and Yuuri had started practicing. Lilia didn’t ask questions, but hummed every now and then to let him know she was still there, so Victor continued to speak. He told her more about the competition, and after that he paused, trying to find words in how to explain what came next.

“So you fell in love with him, Yuuri?” Lilia asked, and Victor let out a breathy chuckle. Of course she would know. 

“I did. I am,” he agreed, and another rush of tears filled his eyes, causing his voice to crack. “I love him so much.”

“Those are big words Vitya,” Lilia mused, and Victor hummed in agreement, as his heart hurt with every heartbeat. “I’ve never heard you say them about anyone before.”

“Yeah, Yuuri’s- he’s so wonderful, and he’s a gorgeous dancer, you’d love his lines,” Victor said, and Lilia scoffed. 

“A ballroom dancer?” she said, her tone teasingly. Victor couldn’t help but smile.

“Yeees, but he was a ballet dancer first,” he admitted. “He was even with a company I think.”

“Really? It’s the one you competed with, yes? Yuuri Katsuki?” she asked, and Victor hummed in agreement. “I have to google him.”

“Mama!” Victor protested, but he could already hear her tapping at the keys on the computer. “Don’t cyber stalk Yuuri!”

“Oh hush how am I to find out anything otherwise,” she said, and Victor rolled his eyes. She had always been like this, needed to know things about people before she could make up her mind about them. “Oh! He’s Minako’s Yuuri!”

“Whose Yuuri?” Victor asked, trying to remember if Yuuri had said that name before. It sounded familiar but he couldn’t place it. 

“Minako Okukawa,” Lilia said, and as she continued to explain Victor could see it perfectly, the memories of meeting Minako flooding back to him as Lilia spoke. “She came in and did the guest choreography for the production last winter.”

“Yes I remember now,” Victor admitted. He had liked her, even if she was very different from Lilia. From what he remembered, the two primas had gotten along well however. “Yuuri danced for her?”

“Yes, he was her golden boy in terms of dancing. I think she had known him since he was a child. She still talks about him every time we meet, how he was the one that got away,” Lilia said with amusement, and Victor laughed. “What a small world.”

“That must be the dance teacher he spoke about then, the one that was a family friend. The world really is small,” Victor agreed, tipping his head back again. The pain was still very much crushing his chest, but at least he had fully stopped crying now. Maybe he was just too drained and too exhausted to cry anymore tonight. 

“So, what happened next? Did you tell him you fell in love?” she asked, and Victor told her about their relationship, and then about the way Yakov had found out about the dancing, and then about the wine stealing. Lilia had fallen quiet again, and then when Victor told her about how it had all come tumbling down at dinner, and Yuuri got fired and left, he started aching again. It was as if his body was fighting itself, with how he wanted to cry but physically couldn't. 

“Oh, Vitya I am so sorry,” she said, the sympathy clear in her voice. “What a terrible situation.” 

“It was all my fault though,” he said, and then took a breath to tell her all the ways it was really his fault, but she managed to stop him before.

“Victor Nikiforov don’t you dare say such thighs. You were brave, and selfless, and you fell in love. You did everything you could to make things as good as possible, and it is not your fault for your father not understanding, for that girl Anya using the staff, or for Ivan’s double standards with the personnel. You have been through a struggle, and you do not deserve this pain,” she said firmly, and Victor let out a dry sob. 

“I just miss him so much Mama, I don’t know what to do,” Victor admitted as his breath trembled. He was so tired. So very tired. 

“I know, but right now you need to get to bed. Do you have the key to your room with Gerogi?” she asked, and Victor sucked in a breath. 

“I don’t know if I can,” he said, and Lilia hummed in understanding. “I just. I don’t want to deal with the lecture and the scrutiny, not right now when…” he trailed off, unable to continue with the crushing weight on his chest.

“Alright, is there anyone at the front desk at this hour?” she asked, and Victor pulled the phone from his ear, seeing the clock blink at 03.09. Oh wow. He had completely forgotten about time.

“Yeah I think someone’s there twenty-four-seven,” he said, and Lilia hummed. 

“Get up and walk over there then. Hand the phone over to who ever’s there,” she instructed, and Victor let out a long breath, before he pushed up. Didn’t understand where he got the energy form, but he managed to do as she said. The receptionist looked bewildered as him, and Victor couldn't blame him. He surely looked like a mess and a half. Still, he accepted the phone and quickly followed the instructions left by Lilia. Once it was done, Victor was handed back his phone as well as a room keycard. 

“There, now you go sleep,” Lilia said as Victor brought the phone back to his ear. “And you can make decisions and plans in the morning.”

“Mama this is too much,” he said as he shook his head, even as he started walking to the elevator while staring down at the card. 

Lilia tsked again. 

“Nonsense,” she said. “I need to take care of my boy. You get some rest, and you can call me in the morning or afternoon or whenever you wake up, and just check in. Okay?” 

“Okay,” Victor agreed as the elevator took him up. He was quickly on the floor of the room, and then took the hallway to the right to find it. Lilia stayed on the line, even if neither of them spoke. “I found it,” Victor said as he pushed in.

“Okay, get into bed, and rest,” she said, and Victor hummed in agreement, starting to shed clothes as he moved to bed. 

“Okay, good night,” he said, already feeling exhausting tremble through his body. He barely felt he could take another step, even if he had to. 

“Good night. I love you,” she said, and Victor smiled, pausing just before pulling off his shirt. 

“I love you too,” he said slowly, just before they hung up. Victor managed to get out of the rest of his clothes, and then fell into bed, falling asleep before his head even hit the pillow. 


	21. Chapter 21

Victor’s entire body ached. His entire being felt heavy and aching, and his head felt like it was filled with cotton, as if he couldn’t make it actually work. He laid there, in the plush but somehow still uncomfortable hotel bed, and wished he could be somewhere else, somewhere where the covers were warm, and the body next to him even warmer, where a steady heart beat under his hand. 

Victor sighed, and blinked his eyes open. His face hurt, itchy and dry from all the crying. He sighed again, trying to suck oxygen down into his lungs. He had face products with him in the room he shared with Georgi, and he could probably go get it. It would probably be best. At least there was one of his aches he could do something about. 

Victor let out a stuttering breath, and felt his eyes fill with tears once more. It burned, and he groaned in pain from it. Maybe had some eye drops in his room too… but that would hardly help if he was going to cry all day.

Oh god how would Victor keep from crying all day?

Because even if his body felt stiff and cold, and his face ached and his eyes burned, that was hardly the biggest problem. 

His heart felt like it was broken in his chest, each and every beat pushing the pain out into his body. It was almost unbearable, the way he felt like it was bleeding as if ripped apart. 

Was this how his father felt when Lilia left? Had his heart broken in the same way, making him feel like every breath was a struggle? Was this why he was acting like everyone needed to act according to his exact will? If this was the pain he was under, maybe Victor could understand him better.

He sighed and curled up tighter under the covers. He didn’t want to face the world today. Would rather not be at all currently. He wanted this crushing pain in his chest to go away, to ease up and let him breathe since each and every breath made him want to burst into tears. 

Most of all he wanted Yuuri back. 

He wondered where he had gone. Had he driven home to his parents, after years of never having seen them? Victor didn’t know where they lived, or where Yuuri had grown up, so he didn’t know how long it would take to get there. He was sure he would be happy to see them however, and surely they would be thrilled to see Yuuri too. Victor was sure they missed him. How could they not?

Perhaps he had taken into a hotel, just to gather his thoughts and get away from the storm. Victor hoped he had. He knew it would be expensive, but surely Yuuri would try to think clearly about this and be safe. He very much hoped he did.

Maybe he had even gone to one of all those people that flirted with him? The idea made something dark and awful twist in his gut, and Victor felt nauseous as jealousy filled his body. He was so stupid. Yuuri had made him no promises, and Victor had no claim to him or his attention… or his love. Still, it hurt more than it should to think about Yuuri with someone else. Victor had no idea how to deal with all the mental images that flooded his mind of Yuuri’s lips against someone else's, his hands on them, him smiling that sweet tender way towards them.

Victor’s breath trembled from the pain, and he rolled over to press his face into the pillows, and screamed. 

It didn’t help.

Nothing probably did.

Victor let out another shaky breath. Had Yuuri even arrived to wherever he was going? The snow had been coming down hard last night, and surely the roads would be all snowed over. He could have slipped with the car, and have gotten hurt for all Victor knew.

He let out another shaky breath and turned back on his back, pressing his hands to his eyes. Somewhere in the middle of his mind running away from him he had started crying again, and the tears wet his hands as well as his cheeks as they trailed down onto the pillow.

“Stop crying,” he whispered to himself, his voice cracked and his lips chapped. His hands trembled against his closed eyes, and more tears spilled down his cheeks. “Stop crying.”

His body didn’t listen, and Victor didn’t expect it to.

He had no idea how to deal with this. He had never experienced anything like this before and he had no idea how to try to go on. All he could see as he closed his eyes was Yuuri. All he could think about was Yuuri, all he could feel was the loss of Yuuri by his side and he couldn’t breathe from it. 

Eventually he managed to pull himself from bed and into the bathroom. He met his own reflection of redshot eyes, his cracked cheeks, the tangled mess of his hair and the absolutely heartbroken expression on his face, and burst into tears again. He collapsed down onto the warm tile floor, wrapped his arms around his knees, and wept once more. 

He managed to push off the floor after an unknown amount of time, and after making sure the clock was still within when Georgi and Yakov was usually out, made his way down to their room. He only gathered the most important things, and then headed straight back. With that, and what he had taken with him to Yuuri, he had enough to at least manage through the semblance of a routine. He brushed out his hair, untangling the unsettling amount of knots, and then got into the shower. He didn’t have the energy to stand up. Instead, he sat on the floor, and let the warm water rush down his body, as he cried again.

How much was it possible to cry? 

Perhaps Victor would find out now. Perhaps he could do a case study on himself. The thought made a smile curl on his face, but it was more a grimace than anything else. Maybe he could do another study on himself - how to fall unreasonably in love with a dancer that won’t even kiss you goodbye properly when he leaves. 

That thought only made him cry even more.

God he was pathetic. 

Once he started feeling dizzy and fatigued, he pushed himself from the floor. He quickly washed his hair, and then went through his after-shower routine on autopilot, brushing his hair and moisturising his face. The sun had started going down as he made his way back to bed, but he didn’t really care.

Being wrapped in comforters and sinking into the mattress did make him feel better, and for a while he dozed, floating in and out of consciousness as the sun sank fully and the moon started traveling across the sky. He woke fully around ten, and even if he still felt like shit, it didn’t seem like he was going to be able to fall asleep any time soon. 

Instead he texted Lilia to let her know that he was alive, and within minutes there was someone from room service knocking on the door, handing over a tray of food. Victor hadn’t even realised he hadn’t eaten. He thanked them, and then as he put the tray on the mattress and crawled into bed and grabbed his phone to thank Lilia, and started the TV to keep him company as he ate. 

Nothing really tasted like anything, but Victor still managed to finish a quarter of the massive spread his mother had sent, placing the tray on a side table before he crawled back into bed once he deemed himself finished. The TV flickered the room in light and shadow on a loop, and Victor stared at it unseeingly. A part of him wanted to push back up and head over to the dancers cabin, just to meet someone. To fall into the gentle banter and that sweet caring nature, the warmth and familiarity. Victor closed his eyes, and clenched his jaw to ward off the tears.

He had no place there. Chances were they wouldn’t even let him come hang out there, after how much he had screwed up. They probably knew more about Yuuri’s feelings towards him than Victor did, and Victor couldn’t help but let his mind run away with him over how Yuuri might have called him a fling or a pastime or anything that made their relationship insignificant, when it had meant the world to Victor. 

New tears started streaming down his cheeks, and Victor let them overtake him even though everything hurt so much. He just couldn’t stop and the more he tried the more he cried in an endless loop of suffering. Every time he thought of Yuuri his heart broke, and he couldn’t stop thinking about him at all it seemed. 

  
  


A knock on the door woke him, and Victor startled awake, blinking into the harsh light of day. Apparently he had managed to fall asleep at some point during the night, and had managed to sleep until the sun had risen. He probably tired himself out from all the crying at some point. He hadn’t closed the blinds before doing so, and the room was far too bright for his eyes that itched and ached and that he’d rather keep closed. 

Victor yawned, and then there was another knock on the door, reminding Victor of why he had woken up in the first place. He stretched, and considered leaving it. He couldn’t imagine who it could be coming to see him, and he had put the ‘no cleaning needed’ on the door yesterday, in hopes of being left undisturbed. 

He didn’t want to see anyone. He surely looked awful, felt worse, and would be horrible company to anyone. He should just leave it.

There was another knock on the door, and Victor groaned and pushed from the bed. The air in the room felt cold, and Victor shivered in only his t-shirt and underwear, as he shuffled to the door. 

The person knocked again, and didn’t stop. Victor huffed in annoyance. 

“I’m coming!” he called, his voice sounding terribly hoarse and cracked. The knocking stopped then, and Victor unlocked the door to peer outside, his eyes growing wide in surprise as he saw who was outside in the corridor.

“I have been looking everywhere for you!” Chris said in a relieved gasp, and Victor blinked in surprise, his hand falling from the door. Chris pushed in, and Victor simply let him, too surprised to do anything. Chris stopped in the middle of the hallway, his brows furrowing as he looked at Victor while the door fell shut. “You look like shit.”

“Oh, thank you Chris for telling me something I didn’t already know,” Victor said, and then turned from him to shuffle back to the bed. He fell back into it, and then curled up against the headboard, pulling his knees up to his chin. Chris came in too, and sat down at the edge of the bed, his brows still pinched. 

“Sorry, that was kind of rude,” he said, and Victor wanted to roll his eyes, but feared it would hurt too much. Intead he looked away, and shrugged. 

“It’s fine,” he said with a sigh. “How did you find me anyway?”

“Oh, Minami managed to get a look into the room list, and even though we couldn’t find your name listed anywhere, we figured out that basically no one checks in in the middle of the night,” Chris said with a grin. “Who’s Lilia Baranovskaya anyway?”

“She’s my mom,” Victor said, turning back to look at Chris, resting his cheek on his knees. “She helped me book it after….” Victor trailed off, closing his eyes to try to keep his emotions at bay. He wasn’t going to cry. He didn’t cry in front of people. 

“I’m glad,” Chris said with a smile and a nod, resting back on one of his hands. “You could have come to us though, we would have taken care of you.”

Victor frowned, and then shook his head. He didn’t understand what Chris was saying. 

“Why?” he asked, and Chris’ brows rose in surprise. 

“You’re our friend?” he said, his expression puzzled, as if he didn’t understand what Victor was talking about. “We like you Victor, we like hanging out with you. You helped us all out a lot, with the dance competition, as well as standing up to Ivan about Anya. I’ve been wanting to do that for years!”

“Helped you? I got Yuuri fired!” Victor protested, his eyes filling with tears again. “I broke everything-”

“No,” Chris said, cutting him off sharply as he shook his head. Tears started falling down Victor’s cheeks then, but it was slow this time, not the heartbreaking sobbing he had been doing for almost two days. “I was there. You did everything you could, you tried so hard for Yuuri, and for Sara. I was cheering you on like crazy. Hell, almost the entire staff in there did.”

“But I could have- I should have-,” Victor tried, and Chris shook his head, making Victor pause as a sob ripped through his throat. Why did everything have to hurt so much? Wasn’t it enough that his heart was shattered? 

“Victor you are only human. Yuuri would have gotten fired anyway,” Chris pushed, and Victor let out a deep sigh, closing his eyes as more tears fell down his cheeks. “This way Anya got what was coming to her as well, and everyone else got treated fairly… or almost at least.”

“But Yuuri,” Victor said as he opened his eyes, and even more tears fell down his cheeks from just saying his name. He could see Yuuri so clearly, the tender look in his eyes as he woke him to tell him he had gotten fired, the blank expression on his face as he turned towards the car, how he hadn’t even looked back…    
“Yuuri, who never lets anyone in, who keeps to himself, who is the most warm but also private person I know,” Chris said, and Victor couldn't stand hearing this, didn’t want to hear the sentence finish with ‘will move on’, when Victor felt like he would never be able to. “Is probably just as heartbroken as you are, but not about losing this position, but leaving you.”

Victor’s breath paused in his chest, and he blinked as he looked at Chris, trying to understand if he had truly heard that correctly. 

“What?”

“I don’t know him that well,” Chris said, and Victor frowned and looked down into his lap, his hands wringing together. “Yuuri’s a private person and even if we’re friends, I can’t say I can read him, not like Phichit or Sara. Still, I have never seen him be with anyone the way he is with you. Phichit spent hours with him on the phone yesterday, and even if he didn’t tell me everything, when Phichit came back he said, and I quote ‘ _ he just really misses everyone, especially Victor. He’s really broken up about it.’ _ Now, to me, that sounds like a lot of emotion.”

“Chris,” Victor said, and then let out a long breath as he shook his head. This was too much. His head was too foggy to try to deal with all this information and needing to shift his views on both how he had acted and how Yuuri felt towards him. “I don’t know if I dare to believe that.”

“That’s okay, love is a scary thing,” Chris said with a nod. “I would say talk to Phichit about it, or ask for Yuuri’s number from him to ask Yuuri yourself.”

“Yeah,” Victor agreed, even if he doubted he would dare to. What if he got his hopes up, and then had them burned down again. Would he be able to handle that?

Chris smiled, and then nodded. “I need to head down to start prepping dinner service, but please come by the cabin? Any of them really. We miss you,” he said as he stood, and Victor nodded, more out of habit than anything. Chris paused, and Victor looked up to meet his eyes. “And maybe talk to your family too? They didn’t look too well yesterday. Though, I’m sure you’re more of an expert in that area.”

“Okay,” Victor said numbly, even as his mind started running away from him. What had happened after Victor had rushed out to find Yuuri? What aftermath had transpired after his revelation about Anya. How was Georgi? How was Yakov’s relationship with Ivan? Maybe he really should go check on them too. 

“Good,” Chris said, and then smiled. “Make sure you eat something too.”

Victor couldn’t help but smile, even if it was more of a tugging at the side of his mouth. “Fine, mom,” he said, and Chris laughed. He nodded and waved, leaving Victor with his own racing thoughts. 

Victor was left sitting there on the bed, his mind too full and his chest so horribly hollow, except for the painful throbbing of his heart. 

What was he going to do now? 


	22. Chapter 22

Victor had never seen his father look so unsettled as he did opening the hotel room door that same night. Victor had mulled over his and Chris' conversation over and over, and while he still really didn’t dare to confront Phichit, or the other dancers, or his broken heart, he had decided to go see his family. What he had done in the restaurant a few nights ago, in terms of them, wasn’t really fair. He needed to try to reconnect in some way. 

Even with all of their differences he loved his father and brother, and he didn’t want to lose contact with them or for this to create a great divide between them. Looking back at it now, Victor could see how an argument between them had just been waiting to happen, with how the distance between them grew with each passing day. He hadn’t expected it to be like this when he had gotten into the car to drive to the Catskills, but he had known in a way that it was coming. 

He had washed his face, and pulled his hair back into a ponytail, and made his way down to the floor his father and brother were staying at when he assumed they would be back from dinner. He still looked like he had been crying for 48 hours straight, and it wasn’t as if it wasn’t true or he could hide it. He really didn’t see the point. He was still in agony, and he was just barely holding it together. Hell, it felt like Victor wanted to cry now, but he would try not to. 

“Vitya,” his father said, and Victor took it as a good sign that his father was using his nickname. “Come in.”

“Thank you,” Victor said, and walked inside. It felt odd, coming into the joined rooms from his father’s room and not the one where he and Georgi had slept, like walking through the looking glass. 

Georgi was on the couch in the seating area, and he was looking at Victor as he walked in, his expression matching something that Victor very much felt in his own heart. 

Heartbreak. 

Victor wanted to scream. 

He could have prevented this. Surely he could have tried harder to try to convince Georgi of what Anya was going and how she was acting, instead of getting defensive and acting childish. 

“Hi,” he said, and Georgi put his phone on the coffee table as he kept his gaze, making Victor squirm in place from that piercing gaze. 

“You look even worse than me,” Georgi said, and Victor huffed out a laugh, breaking their eye contact to look down at the floor. Their father walked around him, and sat down in one of the couches. 

“Yeah well, when you have your heart break it sort of does that too you,” he said, and then he looked back to meet their gazes. Yakov clenched his jaw, and shook his head, and Victor could feel the lecture roll towards him even before it started. 

“I told you,” he started, and Victor wanted to groan and tip his head up to the sky and shout. “That dancers were not to be trusted. I told you-”

“It wasn’t Yuuri’s fault,” Victor said sharply, cutting his father off. “Ivan fired him, for being with me.”

Yakov blinked in surprise, and Georgi shuffled in place, looking at him with a puzzled expression. 

“What do you mean?” Georgi asked. “The staff are allowed to have relationships with the guests. I asked Anya and…” he trailed off, and Victor could see him clench his jaw, surely fighting similar emotions that Victor had been feeling the last few days. 

“The waiters are, and the ski instructors, and everyone else Ivan seems to deem worthy. The ‘entertainment’ was not included in that,” Victor said, and Yakov frowned before he sighed. 

“Where have you heard this Vitya? From the dancers?” he said, and Victor shook his head, keeping his back straight. He wasn’t used to standing up to his father, but he knew he was right, and currently, he didn’t care if he was trying to push him down. Victor had come here with all good intentions, and he would do his best to meet that. He would not however, back down or lie.

“I heard Ivan say it, on the first day we came here,” Victor said, and Yakov’s expression morphed back to surprise again. “When I went exploring I overheard a staff meeting. Ivan made it very clear on his views on dancers. I can understand why you’re friends,” Victor said, a little too sharp perhaps. His father kept his gaze, and then nodded. 

“Very well,” Yakov said, rubbing his hands together. “I’m sorry then, that it came to that. The dancer knew these rules though?” he asked, and Victor didn’t even want to answer that. It didn’t matter. 

“That’s not the point,” Victor said, and then let out a big sigh as he rubbed his hand over his face. “I didn’t come here to fight. I came to talk, and to apologize.”

“Apologize?” Georgi echoed, and Victor turned to him, the frustration in his chest simmering down a bit as he met his eyes. 

“Yes, I- I knew what Anya was doing, or at least parts of it. I should have told you,” Victor said, letting out a big breath after he had. “I am so sorry. I didn’t want you to get hurt.”   
“Why didn’t you tell me?” Georgi asked, and Victor looked down at the floor. He felt ashamed, and terribly bad.

“I tried, or I was going too, but then you started teasing me about dance, like you always do, and I just…,” Victor took a deep breath, and looked up at both of them. “It hurts me, so much when you both do that. Just because I’m not like you, don’t enjoy the same things that you both do, doesn’t make them childish.” 

“Vitya,” Yakov said, and Victor focused fully on him, his heart beating roughly in his chest. “I admit having been crude about certain things, but you lied to me, and you broke a promise.”

“This isn't even about that,” Victor argued. “You asked me to give up the one thing I love most in the world because it hurt you. You didn’t say it like that, but I know that’s why. How do you expect me to act? I love you, you’re my father and you were in so much pain! But then, then I was left feeling like just half of me. I felt all my happiness drain but I didn’t dare to tell you because I didn’t want to hurt you too.”

The room fell quiet, and for a moment they simply looked at each other, while Victor’s heart beat like a steady drum in his chest. He just wished they could understand, or at least try to. It had been an uphill battle for so long. He had no idea how they were going to continue if they couldn’t meet here.

“I just-” Yakov started, and Victor looked up to meet his gaze. “You are my son. I want what’s best for you.”

“What was best for you is not what’s best for me,” Victor said, hoping to be understood, to be met halfway. “I love to dance. I love it so much. And I love you, and I love you,” Victor said, as he turned to his brother. “And I love Mama too. And I love Yuuri, a dancer. And I might have lost him, and I might recover from that, or I won’t, but you need to decide if you can love all of me… all of these parts of me.”

“Of course I do,” his father said so quickly it almost made Victor’s head spin. He had expected another lecture. He had expected to fight so much more for simply those words. Victor let out a slow breath, feeling tears pool in his eyes again for a very different reason. “Of course I love you, Vitya.”

“Then let me be me,” he pleaded, hand splayed over his chest, feeling his heart vibrate with each beat. “Let me dance, and let me fall in love and see Mama. I’m not saying you have to come watch me dance or see her, but don’t threaten to disown me if I don’t follow your rules. I’m not a child anymore.”

“You’ll always be my child, Vitya,” Yakov said, his voice warmer than expected. “You’re the youngest too. It’s hard to come to terms with the fact that you’ll be twenty in a few days.” 

“Just because you still see me as a child, doesn’t mean it’s okay for you to haul me out of ballrooms like I’m eight and have been naughty,” Victor pointed out, and his father’s lips twitched. It wasn’t a smile, but it was an almost thing.

“Agreed,” Yakov said slowly, and then leaned back as he crossed his arms over his chest. “I would have hated if my father did that too.”

“Yes, it wasn’t very pleasant,” Victor agreed, and Yakov nodded. 

“Fine,” he agreed, and Victor’s brows rose. “Oh don’t look so surprised. I have been thinking a lot about my actions ever since that argument. I do very much appreciate your insight however. It had been a hard time for me since Lilia left, and I have not handled it well.”

“I can understand why,” Victor said, and rubbed his hand over his chest. He met his father’s gaze, and for a moment neither of them said anything. Perhaps an understanding was flowing through them, the sense of heartbreak echoing through generations - Victor from his very first, and his father from his latest. In the end, Yakov nodded, and Victor did too. 

Hopefully they could build from this and move on. 

Victor let out a slow breath, and then turned to Georgi, unsure of what more to say. He knew he should say something more, but he was unsure of what. He and his brother had never been close, but that didn’t mean he didn’t care about him. He took a step closer, and then he sunk down to sit on the floor by the coffee table. Georgi was looking down at his own hands, and Victor shuffled, as the silence of the room became stifling. A part of him wanted to leave and let it be, but that would just be cowardly. He had been in the wrong here, and he had to face that.

“I can’t believe you didn’t tell me,” Georgi said sharply, and Victor nodded. “Was it really multiple…” he trailed off, and Victor nodded again.

“As far as I know there was one girl, named Sara who is really the reason I got involved in the dance competition,” Victor tried to explain, glancing over to his father. “And then when she got injured, Anya dumped her and started dating one of the bartenders. I’ve only heard this rumored though.” 

“Wait,” Georgi said, looking extremely confused. “Someone got injured?”

Victor took a deep breath, and then started explaining as best he could from the information he had, from the dance group and the confrontation with Anya earlier in the visit. He focused mostly on the Anya parts of the story, which really made it much shorter and easier to tell. Victor really didn’t think he would be able to bring himself to talk about Yuuri, because he was fairly sure he would break apart if he did.

At the end of it, Georgi’s eyes were filled with tears, and Victor looked down at the carpet again, feeling uneasiness fill his chest. He glanced back up, and his brother swallowed thickly, and Victor bit into his cheek as he waited. Their father sat silent, and Victor shuffled in place once more. What was he supposed to do? He had never been good at handling tears - his own or others. 

“Alright,” Georgi said, his voice trembling. “Thank you for telling me.” 

He stood then, and without saying anything more he walked over to the other hotel room and closed the door firmly. Victor could hear how he started sobbing once it was shut, and his heart ached for him. He wondered for a moment if he should go after and try to comfort him, but he really wouldn’t feel comfortable with Georgi consoling him, so maybe his brother wouldn’t either. 

Who knew this would become such a heartbreak trip?

“Well,” Yakov said, clearing his throat. Victor looked from the closed door to his father, who leaned forward a bit on the couch. “While I can’t say I’m fully over you lying, that was a very noble thing to do, to help them. I may not fully understand it all, but perhaps you could tell me more of it, some other night?”

“Yes,” Victor agreed with a nod, even as he was feeling exhausted. These past days had been more energy draining than any he had experienced before in his life. “Could I join you tomorrow for breakfast?”

His father’s expression spread into a smile, and then he nodded. Victor smiled too.

All was not forgiven, but there was at least hope.


	23. Chapter 23

Victor rested back against the wall, looking out at the dancers moving on the dance floor. It was Christmas Eve, and the ball was in full swing in the ballroom. They had eaten a five course dinner just before, and then had been led into the excessively decorated room, where the Christmas music played by a love band filled the space. Many took the floor instantly, and Victor was surprised to even see his father being invited onto the dance floor, and not declining. 

There was still the opportunity for miracles it seemed. 

Georgi was on the dance floor as well, dancing with one of the Leroy children who Victor guessed was around his brother’s age. Victor hadn’t paid too much attention to them or what their names were, but at least his brother didn’t look miserable like he had the past few days. Georgi had been turned into a whining mess ever since Victor had told him everything he knew about Anya, and Victor even felt he was worse than himself, which was saying a lot. He would therefore count the smile on his brother’s face, a win.

Perhaps at the end of the night, Victor would be the only one in their family fully heartbroken.

He sighed, and looked over the room again. Victor had yet to see Anya since he had disrupted accusations against her, and while Ivan seemed to have talked it all out with Yakov and was acting like nothing had happened, Victor couldn’t help but wonder where she was. He knew very little of her, and he wasn’t sure why she had acted as she had. Maybe there was a reasonable reason. 

The song changed, another Christmas song coming on from the live band, the dancers twirling around the floor to the music. It was evident many of them had taken lessons while here, and the dancing did look much better than it had at the opening ball. Victor’s heart throbbed in his chest, adding to the in dull ache that seemed to have settled over his heart permanently. He was surprised he wasn’t absolutely bawling his eyes out over simply looking at the dance floor, but perhaps he had reached a point now where he couldn’t cry anymore. He had been doing it almost nonstop for three days after all, and at some point it had to stop, or at least pause. It seemed now was the time for it to do so. 

He tipped his head back and closed his eyes, the song filling his mind as his vision wasn’t filled with dancers.

_ It's that time of year, When the world falls in love _

_ Every song you hear seems to say _

_ Merry Christmas _

_ May your New Year dreams come true _

_ And this song of mine, In three-quarter time _

_ Wishes you and yours, The same thing too _

He scoffed, finding it almost comical. The world fell in love in December, and Victor had too. Now it was almost Christmas, and he was more heartbroken than he had ever been. He had been sobbing for someone who he wasn’t sure even felt remotely the same, and now he was here, standing on the sidelines much like had had at the opening ball, looking at the dancers with a heavy heart. 

His heart was heavy for a whole other reason then it had been then. Then, it had been because of the longing to dance, to go back to how things had been before, to be able to feel free. Now, he longed for Yuuri, gut deep and heart wrenching. It still hurt so much, and he had no idea how he was going to go back home in a week's time, and still function as a human. 

Victor groaned, the sound thankfully drowned out by the music. He was so pathetic. People suffered heartbreak all the time and moved on. Surely… Surely he could too, no matter how impossible it seemed. 

That did make tears sprang to his eyes, and Victor let out a slow breath and opened his eyes, willing them away by blinking. That was the trouble wasn’t it? He didn’t want to move on from Yuuri. He wanted to have him back. 

Some Christmas miracles were not to be. 

He let out a sigh and pushed from the wall. He needed some air, and right now the auditorium was suffocating. He moved swiftly through the crowds, and once in the hallway opted for the staff exit instead of heading towards the reception. He didn’t really feel up to running into someone from the Leroy family, and since he knew the dancers were all in the auditorium getting ready for the performance, he knew he wouldn’t bump into them either. He moved quickly through the corridor, and then pushed the back door open. The cold air hit his face, and Victor took a deep breath of it to try to calm his mind.

“Hey,” someone said beside him, and Victor looked towards it, only for his eyes to go wide surprise. Anya was standing there, bundled up in a thick coat. There was a cigarette in her hand, and she was resting against the wall. Unlike everyone inside, she didn’t look dressed for a party. 

“Hi,” Victor greeted, twisting a little in place. Maybe he should go back inside. He had come out to be alone after all, to be able to clear his thoughts from thinking about Yuuri. Seeing Anya did not help. 

“Didn’t expect to see you here,” she said, putting the cigarette to her lips to take a long pull. “The ball not fun enough for you?”

“I haven’t seen you in there,” Victor pointed out, and Anya shook her head, looking away from him as she blew the smoke out. 

“I’m not allowed, since I’ve misbehaved,” Anya said, her voice dripping with anger even if she looked calm. She glanced back at him, looking down at him as if he was filth under her shoe. God, Victor did not have the energy for this. “I can’t believe you fucking did that.”

Victor sighed and rolled his eyes.

“I was not the one who treated people unkindly, used them, and was about to let others take the blame for things I kept doing,” Victor pointed out, and Anya shook her head. He wondered if she had even listened to what he said.

“That was so uncalled for, you think you can just waltz into my hotel-”

“I mostly mamboed, but,” Victor said with a shrug, and that seemed to enrage her even more, as she clenched her jaw and scowled at him. 

“Not funny, you don’t understand what kind of damage you’ve done,” she spat, and Victor shook his head. He thought of Yuuri’s expression when he retold the story of Sara getting injured, of Sara’s defeated smile through the weeks, and of his brother’s tears. 

“I think you landed yourself in this situation all on your own. You injured someone and left her on the spa floor, without being able to walk. You stole from your father’s business. You really broke my brother’s heart. Who knows what Kanako might feel. Maybe you need to do some soul searching instead of trying to blame me,” Victor said, and Anya sighed, shaking her head. 

“That does not make it right,” she pointed out, and Victor raised his eyebrows. The cold was seeping into his skin, and he shivered. Anya took another pull of her cigarette. 

“Are you saying anything I said was untrue?” he asked, and Anya looked at him, her lips perched as she blew the smoke out slowly. Victor couldn’t help but let a smirk tug at the corner of his mouth. 

“It’s not easy you know, living up to his expectations,” she said, and she looked away from Victor then. “I’m his only child. You think Yakov treats you harshly? Try having a father who dictates all your relationships.”

She shook her head, and Victor stayed quiet. He didn’t know her well enough to know what she was talking about, but he could guess. 

“I- I’m expected to do so much to be so much. He wants me to be friends with the staff to know what they say about him and me, and he wants me to get a degree, and to work up here. On top of it all he has me flirting with men from families he finds suitable because it’s what he sees as ‘the path for me’,” she said, her jaw clenched. Victor looked at her, and while he didn’t understand or felt like any of it excused her actions, it did bring it all into new light. 

It did sound fairly familiar after all. 

“So, he urged you to flirt with Georgi?” Victor asked, and Anya brought the cigarette back to her lips and took a long pull. She let the smoke out slowly.

“Urged? More like demanded,” she scoffed. 

“It still doesn’t make it okay though,” Victor pointed out, and Anya looked down into the snow, taking one more pull before dropping the cigarette into the snow. “You still left Sara there like she was nothing.”

“Yeah….” Anya said, and didn’t seem to have a good answer to that. “That was shitty.”

“It really was,” Victor agreed, and Anya nodded slowly. “Didn’t you feel anything for her?”

“More than for your brother I guess,” Anya said, shrugging. “She- It wasn’t something deep. It was just a good time and then it got too real and I got afraid of getting caught when she fell and…” she trailed off, and Victor hummed. Neither of them said anything for a moment. 

Victor didn’t want to be there, and a part of him really wanted to fight because there was so much she hadn’t answered for… and yet he had no energy for it. He had spent so much time crying over the last couple of days that he felt completely wrung dry. 

“I’m sorry,” she said, and Victor’s eyebrows rose in surprise. 

“For what?” he asked, and she did look back at him then. Victor held her gaze, unsure if she really meant it. 

“I don’t know… a lot of things,” she said, and Victor hummed again. 

“Maybe you should consider that then. I’m not saying it’ll all work out, but maybe you need to think about the person you want to be in this life… not who he wants you to be.”

Anya hummed, and Victor sighed, before he turned back to the door. He pushed in easily and it didn’t take long to make his way back into the ballroom. The dancing was still as lively as ever, and Victor stepped in carefully. It still hurt so much to see the couples moving around, and maybe he should just head back up. He started scanning the room for his father, when his gaze unfortunately caught Ivan’s instead.

“Victor!” he called, and Victor’s heart dropped as he saw him approach, feeling uneasiness settled into his stomach. He focused fully on Victor as he approached, and Victor took another step back, and then another, making him come to a stop against a pillar coming out from the wall, creating a corner. 

He swallowed. 

Trapped. 

“Victor, while I appreciate your honesty about the situation that transpired the other night at dinner,” Ivan started, and a shiver rushed down Victor’s spine. There was a horribly slick smile on his face, but there was nothing genuine about it. “It is important to keep things such as that more private. It is okay to go slumming-”

“Slumming?” Victor asked, feeling anger rise in his chest from the phrase, surely meant about Yuuri and Sara or whoever Anya had ‘slummed’ with. Ivan didn’t seem to hear him however, that or he didn’t care.

“But the facade needs to be kept intact, and families like ours need to stay together, and protect each other instead of harming each other,” Ivan continued, and Victor clenched his jaw as he shook his head. He couldn’t even believe the nerve this man had to confront him about this, right here and right now, after he had fired Yurui and driven him off in a snowstorm. Victor had a good mind to yell at them and cause yet another scene, but he doubted that would lead to anything good. It might even lead to something else going horribly wrong, and Victor really couldn’t deal with that. 

He should leave instead. It was really the only reasonable thing to do. Still he would have to push Ivan out of the way to do so, and Victor didn’t want to enrage him further. He really didn’t like the look in Ivan’s eye, and he wondered what he was scheming under that calm facade. 

“Hey!” someone called beside them, and Victor ripped his eyes to the side because he knew that voice. His breath caught, and he felt his heart stopping in his chest as his eyes grew wide. He must be imagining this, this must be a dream or an exhaustion fueled hallucination because it couldn’t be- “Nobody puts my baby in the corner.”

Victor didn’t know if he wanted to laugh or cry, or maybe both, as Yuuri’s hand wrapped around his, and then pulled him away. Ivan looked shocked, but Victor only had a second to see their reactions, before his attention fully focused on Yuuri, as their fingers laced together. 

He couldn’t speak, it was as if his voice had run away from him and really, he had no idea what he would say if he could. It was as if his brain hadn’t managed to catch up yet to what was happening. One minute ago he had been feeling like he would never smile again because Yuuri wasn’t in his life anymore, and now Yuuri’s warm, smooth,  _ perfect _ hand was in his as he led him up on stage. 

When they stepped up, Victor keeping his steps close to Yuuri as he followed, the music quieted before falling completely silent. The guests of the ballroom stopped dancing, their attention turning first to the band, and then to the stage, which was slowly becoming lit. Victor looked at Yuuri’s profile beside him. He was so beautiful, even more so than Victor remembered. Yuuri wasn’t looking at him. He was looking out at the crowd, a determined set in his shoulders. Victor felt he shiver rushed down his spine. He had no idea what was going to happen, but he could hardly wait to find out. 

“I’m sorry about the disruption,” Yuuri said loudly, and all eyes were truly turned to them now. Victor’s heart raced, but he didn’t dare to look away from Yuuri for more than a second, terrified that he would be gone if he did. “I’ve just- I’ve worked at this resort for three years now, and I usually do the final dance of the Christmas ball. This year, I was told I couldn’t, because of who I loved.”

Victor sucked in a stuttering breath, his heart pounding so hard in his chest. Did Yuuri truly say love?

“I almost lost someone incredibly dear to me this week, because of someone trying to tell us we couldn’t be together, so I wanted, needed, to come back. This person, who has taught me so much about self-sacrifice, and about finding your way back to things you love, and about how I want to live my life from now on.” Yuuri swallowed, and then he looked down to meet Victor's eyes, and Victor felt it like an electric shock raced through his body as they locked eyes. “Victor Nikiforov.” 

Victor let out another slow breath, and had to close his eyes for just a second, before opening them once more. Yuuri had turned away from him again, facing the crowd. 

“So if he’ll let me,” Yuuri said, and then looked back at him again. “I would love for him to dance with me again.”

Victor still couldn’t find words. He still wasn’t sure this was real. Still, he nodded with certainty. Of course he wanted to dance with Yurui again. There were few things he wanted more. Yuuri smiled, before his hand slipped away from his. Victor’s heart started racing and his entire body screamed for Yuuri not to go again, and yet he stayed put as Yuuri moved out into the wings, and shrugged off his coat. Phichit was there too, and he accepted Yuuri’s phone to put into the sound system, grinning like a mad man as he looked back at Victor.

Yuuri was not in any formal wear, only in a black teeshirt tucked into his dark slacks. His hair was slicked back, and he was without his glasses, and he said one final thing to Phichit, before he turned back to look at Victor. He felt his world pause, and even when he heard the music start, all he could focus on was Yuuri. 

Yuuri shrugged his shoulders, a known gesture to Victor by now, and then he walked out onto the dancefloor in long strides in time with the music, hips swaying. Victor shivered, and turned towards him as Yuuri did a come hither motion with his finger, longing to be in Yuuri’s arms. He expected Yuuri to take him into a waltz grip. Yuuri took a mambo step forward, and Victor followed with a step back as if it was second nature. Instead of grabbing him however, Yuuri reached for Victor’s suit jacket, and unbuttoned the two buttons. Victor let out a gasp, and Yuuri looked up to meet his eye.

“Can’t move very well in this,” he said, and then pulled the jacket from Victor's shoulders, tossing it to Phichit as they continued to move in the base steps. Next came Victor’s tie, lipping from around his neck smoothly under Yuuri’s skilled hands. Next he popped two of the top buttons of Victor’s white shirt open. Yuuri smiled, and then leaned in to pull the hair tie from Victor’s hair, and his long hair fell free behind his back. 

“Perfect,” Yuuri whispered into his ear, and Victor shivered again. “Ready?” he asked, holding up his arms for Victor to step into. 

“Yes,” Victor agreed, and his hand found Yuuri’s, the other landing on his shoulder. Yuuri immediately dipped him, turning from one side to the other, before he turned him out from him, like the start of their choreography. Victor followed, and then spun back in, coming to a stop with his back pressed to Yuuri’s back. His arm went up on impulse, and caressed down Yuuri’s face, before finding a home in Yuuri’s hand by his hip. Yuuri smiled, and kissed his nose, before twirling him out. 

The dance came by muscle memory now, the steps familiar and sure. Victor hadn’t realised how much they had changed it after the actual competition however, until they started dancing it now. There weren't any huge changes, but little things here and there like how they held each other, the number of turns, how close they stepped. Yuuri wasn’t holding back, and Victor didn’t either. He followed him perfectly, feeling his heart swell with each step taken.

Joy was coursing through his veins, as he spun, stepped, and followed as Yuuri lifted him off the floor as he turned. Victor smiled, and then even more so when Yuuri brought him close to his chest, his hands caressing down his hips as his leg slotted between Victor’s. He ground their hips together, just like at the staff party, hips rolling together playfully. There wasn’t seduction in it, it was teasing and Victor laughed, as wolf whistles and cheers filled the room. 

Yuuri smiled so prettily, and then he spun Victor again, Victor felt like he was just where he wanted to be in his arms. 

Yuuri spun him out, and then brought Victor’s hand to his mouth, palm up, and kissed it tenderly while still keeping his gaze. Victor’s breath caught, but then Yuuri was stepping away from him, and rushed to the edge of the stage, and jumped.

Happiness exploded in Victor’s stomach, and he laughed, as Yuuri made the crowd part like the red sea for his dance movements. He spotted the other dancers now, as well as several of others in the staff. They were in the back, but as Yuuri approached they moved in unison, and Victor recognised the steps from a choreography Yuuri had shown him that they were all working on together. 

Yuuri was met with cheers and hugs, but they soon turned back to Victor, and danced down the newly created aisle again. Victor couldn’t look away from Yuuri, it was far too enticing, the way he looked so free like this, with his friends, not caring one bit about what anyone else thought. 

Yuuri was looking at him too, and yeah it was seduction now, the way his eyes went dark and he smirked, the way he was drawing Victor in. Victor’s stomach swooped, and then in a moment of unison, they nodded. Victor was helped down the stage by strong arms, and even if they had done this lift so many times, he still felt nerves explode in his stomach as he set off, and as soon as he felt Yuuri’s hands on his hips, jumped. 

Yuuri’s grip on him was sure, and he raised him high in the air over the crowd. Victor felt like he was flying as the cheers from the crowd filled the room, making his chest tremble. Yuuri started lowering him, and Victor followed, as he fell laughing into Yuuri’s arms. Yuuri held him so tight, and Victor circled his legs around his waist and pulled back just enough to meet his gaze. Yuuri was smiling too, wonderfully, beautifully bright.

This was home.

There really was nothing stopping Victor now. 

He leaned down, and Yuuri tipped his face up, and when their lips met Victor felt as though there were fireworks setting off in his chest. Yuuri’s hands came down to under his thighs to support him, as he kept Victor tucked close to his body. Victor’s hands cupped his cheeks, and felt love course through his body, and kissed him deeper. 


	24. Chapter 24

Yuuri lowered him slowly, and Victor followed, placing his feet carefully on the floor as he kept his lips locked to Yuuri’s. It felt like Yuuri was oxygen, being the only thing keeping him breathing after having been under the surface too long. Each press of lips against his made him feel like life was rushing back into him, even if it all still seemed like a very vivid dream.

If he woke up from this, still alone and heartbroken, it would be the most horrid trick his brain had ever played on him. 

Victor smiled into the kiss, gripping Yuuri tighter. He had no idea what was going on around them, and frankly he didn’t care at all. Yuuri was in his arms, and it was all that currently mattered. Yuuri had come back, and pulled him from a confrontation like some sort of knight in shining dance shoes and then led him on stage, as if it was the most natural thing in the world to do. It made something bubble in Victor’s chest, light like champagne bubbles. Then, he had said the most wonderfully lovely things and Victor could hardly even think about that right now from the risk of turning into mush. 

Then, Yuuri had stripped him,  _ on stage _ , and then took his body into his arms and led him in their dance. It was more than Victor’s wildest imagination could have ever conjured up. 

“Victor,” Yuuri said against his lips, and Victor kissed him again, feeling tears fill his eyes. They didn’t spill however. He simply took another deep breath, and then slowly opened them. Yuuri was looking back at him, his gaze so fond, and it made everything feel right in the world.

“Say it again,” Victor whispered, his hands coming up to cup Yuuri’s hands on his cheeks. Yuuri frowned, his expression turning mournful for a moment. 

“Victor,” he said, and then pressed his lips to the space between Victor’s brows. Victor closed his eyes under the onslaught of emotions storming in his chest, his lips spreading to a wide smile. “Baby,” he said, and Victor shuddered, as Yuuri pressed a kiss to his temple. “Love,” he continued, pressing one more to the corner of Victor's mouth. Victor let out a stuttering breath, and met his gaze again.

“I missed you  _ so much _ ,” he said, pinching his lips together for a moment to ward off the tears. Yuuri nodded, his eyes wet too. 

God was this even real?

Did Yuuri really feel so much for him too?

Victor had to start believing it now, now that Yuuri had said it so many times. 

“I missed you too,” Yuuri said, and Victor pushed forward to kiss him again, sweet and slow. “I’m sorry.”

Victor shook his head, and then let his hands caress from Yuuri’s down his arms and to his waist, as he tipped his forehead forward to rest against Yuuri’s.

“I can’t believe you came back,” he said, feeling like a broken record but needing to say it anyway. Yuuri nodded, and Victor clung even harder to his sides. 

“I’m sorry I kept you waiting,” he said, and Victor wanted to laugh, because waiting was not at all what he had done. He had mourned, and grieved, and cried his heart out as he tried to make sense of the world again. He had never thought Yuuri would come back, not even after what Chris had said, so why should he have waited? “I’m here now,” Yuuri continued and Victor grinned widely. 

“You’re here now,” he confirmed, and then pulled back so he could look him in the eye again. Yuuri caressed some hair behind his ear, and then looked to the side, as someone approached them. It broke Victor from the moment, and he looked with wide eyes to the same side, seeing Phichit standing beside them. Behind him on the ballroom floor the dance was in full swing, but it was so different from how it had been just minutes before.

This was freer, the band playing something much less traditional. Victor couldn’t help but smile, as he saw the guests and staff mixing together, dancing with each other. It wasn’t like the dancing at the staff party, but more like a mix of the traditional and the free. It was wonderful, especially with how happy people looked.

“Here you go,” Phichit said with a wide grin, making Victor turn his attention back to him from the dance floor. He handed Yuuri his jacket, along with Victor’s suit jacket and tie. “That was magnificent. Let’s do it every year.”

“Are you fired yet?” Yuuri asked as he accepted the garments. They were both smiling, as if in on a secret only the two of them knew. Phichit shrugged. 

“If I am, I have not been told,” he said, and then bumped his shoulder with Yuuri’s. Yuuri laughed, and bumped him back, his free hand finding Victor’s and lacing their fingers together. “We talked about this. It’s fine.”

“I know,” Yuuri said, his smile turning soft as he nodded and looked down. Victor desperately wanted to know what had happened since he had watched Yuuri drive away that snow soaked night, and until he stepped back into this ballroom. Hopefully Yuuri would tell him later. “Thank them for me, again?”

“Eh, do it yourself whenever you feel like you can pull away from locking lips,” Phichit said with a smile that turned into a smirk as he looked over at Victor. “I don’t expect it to be any time soon.”

“Shut up,” Yuuri said, and Victor laughed, unable to stop his giggling from bubbling over. 

“Fiiine,” Phichit said, and then glanced over his shoulder. “Now, if you excuse me - you know how I love to dance.” 

Phichit winked, and then he took two moonwalk steps backwards, before he turned on his heel and headed into the crowd of people. Victor guessed he was on his way to find Chris, or Mila, or perhaps anyone who wanted to dance. Victor watched the party again, trying to wrap his mind around them all dancing, moving, of Yuuri by his side with his hand in his. He closed his eyes, and took a deep breath, trying to make it all settle in his chest. 

Yuuri squeezed his hand, and Victor turned to him, unable to stop the smile that spread on this face as he looked into Yuuri’s eyes again. 

“Do you want to dance?” he asked, and wasn’t that the most wonderful question. Still Victor shook his head. He had other things he wanted more right now.

“Can we get out of here?” he asked instead, and Yuuri squeezed his hand again, before he kissed his lips, soft and sweet. 

“Yeah,” he agreed, and Victor nodded, keeping his gaze on Yuuri as they turned away from the Christmas Eve ball. They made their way through the scattered crowds on the side lines, and then was just about to walk out the door, when someone familiar approached them. Victor’s heart paused in his chest for a moment, as he met his father’s gaze. 

“Papa,” he said, but Yakov wasn’t looking at him. His eyes were on Yuuri, and Victor let out a shuddering breath. They had come so long in just a few days, and even if there was still a long way to go, it had been progress. Victor was terrified this would set them back instead. He had no idea how his father would handle this now.

“Mr. Feltsman,” Yuuri said, and he gripped Victor’s hand tight. “I have to tell you that you have the most wonderful, talented, amazing son.”

Yakov’s eyes seemed to soften at that, and Victor let out a slow breath, hope lighting in his chest. “I would agree with that, even if he tends to give me minor heart attacks far too often,” he said, and Victor couldn’t help but grin. A smile tugged at his father’s lips, and he turned to Victor, nodding slowly. 

“You looked very happy up there, I had forgotten, how happy it makes you,” he said, and Victor bit into his lower lip as he nodded. 

“It really does,” Victor admitted, whether it was ballet or mambo or waltz or whatever, moving to the music, pushing himself through choreographies, expressing himself through dance - made him feel free. 

“I should never have stood between you and dance, I- I can see that now,” Yakov said, and Yuuri squeezed Victor’s hand so tight in silent support, and Victor contemplated turning and kissing him on the spot. He didn’t think that would go over well with his father right now however, and Victor didn’t want to break this momentum. 

“It’s okay, you were hurt,” Victor said sympathetically. He knew far too well how it could feel now, and he wouldn’t wish it on anyone. If this mess with Yuuri leaving had given him anything in terms of his relationship with his father, it was a deeper understanding of how his father felt. He might not have an understanding of why his father had acted fully as harshly as he had, but Victor could very much understand how grief could make one do unconsidered decisions. 

Yakov nodded, but a frown still appeared between his brows. “Nevertheless,” he said with firmness. “I can’t say I will be able to make myself come to the performances, but there will be no more ultimatums.” Victor let out a breath of relief and smiled. It was all he could really ask for. 

“Thank you,” he said, wondering if this night could get any better.

Yakov turned back to Yuuri next, and a shiver raced down Victor’s spine. He felt Yuuri tense beside him, and he wished he could give him some sort of support. Still, he had no idea what his father was planning to say, and all he could do was wait, and hope.

“You better treat him right, alright?” Yakov said, narrowing his eyes at Yuuri. Victor glanced to the side, only to catch Yuuri nodding rapidly. “I don’t want to ever see him that heartbroken again.”

“Yes sir,” Yuuri said, and Victor fought a laugh as he glanced between them. God, this day was an emotional rollercoaster, and he could barely keep up with all his feelings himself.

“Good man,” Yakov said, and then landed his large hand on Yuuri’s shoulder with a heavy pat, before it fell away. Yakov took a step back after that, and shuffled in place. “Well I won’t keep you,” he said, and Yuuri nodded, before he tugged Victor from the ballroom in a haste. 

Victor couldn’t help but giggle as they stepped into the dark and quiet corridor. Yuuri turned back to him, his eyes wide, and Victor had to let the laughter bubble over then, from the sheer panic in Yuuri’s eyes.

“That was the scariest conversation I’ve ever had,” he said, and Victor shook his head fondly, stepping closer to wrap his arms around Yuuri’s waist. It was so lovely, to get to feel him press against his body, and to be able to breath in his scent. “What, he’s terrifying!”

“You’re sweet,” Victor shot back, and Yuuri let out a breath and shook his head, before he smiled. He cupped Victor’s chin to tip his face up for another kiss, and Victor followed oh so easily. Yuuri’s lips were soft, and Victor sighed, holding him closer to truly appreciate the feeling of him against his body. Warm, real, and his. 

Victor pecked his upper lip, and then his lower lip, and Yuuri cupped his neck to pull him closer, deepening the kiss. Victor’s stomach flipped, and he let out a stuttering breath against Yuuri’s lips, a gasp falling from Yuuri’s lips as he did.

“Where do we go?” Yuuri asked in a whisper against his mouth, and Victor grinned. “I really want to get you alone.”

Victor’s stomach flipped again, and he let out a whimper, making Yuuri smirk against his lips.

“I have a hotel room,” he said and then swallowed, kissing Yuuri again. A soft moan fell from Yuuri’s lips, and Victor smiled against his mouth, as arousal started stirring in his gut. 

“With your family?” Yuuri asked, and Victor shook his head, making Yuuri pull back to look at him with raised eyebrows. 

“Private one,” Victor said and chased his lips. Yuuri gripped him tighter, and his fingers caressed into the long hairs at the nape of Victor’s hair. 

“Lead the way,” Yuuri breathed, and Victor smiled, and pulled away to lace their fingers together, and walked them to the elevator. 


	25. Chapter 25

The hotel room door fell closed behind them, and it didn’t even take a second before Yuuri had him pressed against it, pinning Victor between his body and the door. Victor let out a gasp, and tugged him closer to crash their lips together. Yuuri pushed into him firmer, and Victor whimpered against his lips, loving the way he felt against his body. 

He heard the jackets fall from Yuuri’s grip onto the floor, and his now free hand came to curl around Victor’s hip, and squeezing tight, making Victor let out a gasp against Yuuri’s lips. Need was coursing through his body, and Victor indulged in it as Yuuri started kissing his way down his throat, sucking marks into his skin. 

“Yes, Yuuri,” Victor moaned, his hands gripping Yuuri’s teeshirt tightly around his hips to start to tug it out of his pants. Yuuri mouthed along his skin, but pulled back enough so that Victor could pull the shirt over his head. Yuuri’s dark gaze met his own, just as it was pulled off and Victor dropped the teeshirt to the floor, pushing forward to claim Yuuri’s lips again. 

How could anyone look so alluring, like lust incarnated?

Yuuri took a step back, and Victor pushed on, kissing Yuuri desperately as Yuuri’s hands started unbuttoning the rest of Victor’s white shirt. They both paused in the middle of the room to kick off their shoes, their lips still pressed together as they tried to avoid tumbling over from getting tangled in the shoes on the floor. 

“Victor, Victor I-” Yuuri breathed, and then kissed him again, as if he too couldn’t stand their lips being parted for even a second. Victor moaned, and licked into his mouth, as Yuuri finally managed to push Victor’s shirt from his shoulders and down on the floor. “I want you so much.”

“Me too, me too Yuuri I-,” Victor said, his hands caressing down Yuuri’s deliciously bare chest. Want surged in his system, and he had to kiss Yuuri again, their tongues sliding against each other as he forgot all about whatever it was he was going to say. Yuuri was too distracting, too enticing, and all Victor could focus on was him. 

“I adore you, you’re so beautiful,” Yuuri said, and then he was pulling away from Victor’s lips to kiss down his neck again, Yuuri’s hands having found the hem of Victor’s pants. Victor gasped loudly, as Yuuri teased his fingers just below the waistband then sharply sucked a mark into Victor’s shoulder. 

“Aaah,” Victor moaned, tipping his head back to give Yuuri more room. He clung to Yuuri’s hips, his fingers digging into them as he tried to ground himself in the moment. He was so desperate for Yuuri’s touch, wanted to never let go.

“Mmh,” Yuuri hummed, pressing the sound into Victor’s skin as he continued to mark his neck and collarbones. 

“Yuuri I want- fuck I need,” Victor moaned, going absolutely crazy over the way Yuuri touched him. “I want you to fuck me.”

Yuuri pulled back to look at him, and Victor tipped his head down so they could lock eyes. His heart was beating rapidly in his chest, and he held onto Yuuri as he caught his breath. He had done it before, but they hadn’t put that much trust in each other yet. Now it felt right, and Victor craved it. 

“I want that too,” Yuuri said, and then kissed him again, this time much slower and sweet, as if to pause and gather their wits. Victor wasn’t sure if he would ever retrieve his again. “I have to- do you have lube?” he asked, and Victor groaned as he shook his head. He had not expected getting laid on this trip, and had not packed anything like condoms or lube, and it wasn’t exactly something he had even thought about as he was sobbing his eyes out after Yuuri left.

“No,” he said honestly with a pout and a sigh. Yuuri smiled, and kissed his nose. It made butterflies erupt in Victor’s stomach, and he pushed up to press a kiss to Yuuri’s upper lip. “It’s okay we can-”

“Give me a minute,” Yuuri said, his voice dark. It made a shiver break out across Victor’s skin, and he pulled Yuuri into another heated kiss, licking into his mouth. Arousal was rushing in his body, and his cock had been growing harder and harder ever since they walked together towards the elevator. Now he longed for friction, and the way Yuuri sounded just now didn’t help.

“Okay,” Victor agreed anyway, and let Yuuri pull away from him. They could do other things, Victor knew they could and it would be amazing. Yuuri had very talented hands, as well as mouth, but Victor had this gut deep longing to be connected like that, to feel Yuuri inside him, hard and warm, splitting him open. 

He watched as Yuuri walked back into the hallway, and plucked the jackets from the floor. He hung Victor’s on the desk chair, and then pulled his phone from his own before hanging it over the chair as well. He thumbed through the contacts, and then pulled it to his ear. Victor walked over, unable to hold back, unable to stop touching him for longer than a moment. He didn’t want there to be any space between them, and even if Yuuri’s mouth would be occupied with speaking with whomever, Victor’s was not.

He kissed along Yuuri’s collarbone, and then over to the other side, his hands splayed wide over Yuuri’s chest, caressing down his stomach, over his sides and to his back. His skin was warm under his touch, and Victor wanted to map it all out, know every dip and curve by heart.

“Hi,” Yuuri said, and Victor could hear Phichit’s voice come through the receiver, even if he couldn’t hear what he was saying. Yuuri’s free hand came down and caressed up and down Victor’s bare back as he always did, and it was so familiar and wonderful. Yuuri had a tendency to do this, whenever Victor was without a shirt. Victor placed his lips on Yuuri’s skin again, and sucked. “Haa- Yeah I need- what?”

Victor pulled away from marking Yuuri’s chest, to look up at him with lust dazed eyes. Yuuri looked very surprised, and then he pinned the phone between his shoulder and ear, before he reached out for his jacket again. His hand slipped into one of the pockets, and then he let out a long sigh, as he pulled out a jumbo package of condoms. 

Victor felt laughter bubble over his lips, and Yuuri looked down at him and shook his head with a smile, pressing a kiss to Victor's brow as Phichit continued to ramble over the receiver. Yuuri pulled back then, and focused on his phone call once more. 

“I hate you,” Yuuri said blankly to Phichit, even as he was smiling. “Thank you so much. I gotta go.” 

He hung up before Phichit had a chance to answer, and put his phone down on the desk, handing the condoms over to Victor. 

“Had Phichit put these in here?” he asked, and Yuuri shook his head in defeat, making Victor laugh again. He leaned forward to press a kiss to Yuuri’s shoulder, as Yuuri pulled out a tube of lube. “Remind me to send him a fruit basket?”

Yuuri turned back to him, and glared, even as he smirked. Victor couldn’t help but giggle. 

“So cheeky,” Yuuri said, and then pulled Victor off the floor by wrapping an arm around his waist and lifting. Victor yelped, as Yuuri carried him with one arm the short distance to the bed, and dumped him on it. Victor laughed ever more then, and Yuuri grinned widely, as he crawled on top of him. 

“I love your laugh,” he said, and it made Victor’s heart rush in his chest, as he dropped the condoms on the bed to pull Yuuri down into a heated kiss. It was wet and open mouthed, making his head spin. 

“I love your smile,” Yuuri said as he pulled back, kissing Victor’s cheek. “I love your skin,” he continued, kissing down Victor’s neck. “I love your voice,” he said, kissing down Victor’s sternum. “I love the way you moan.” With that, he wrapped his lips around Victor's nipple, and sucked. 

“Haaaa,” Victor moaned, arching off the bed into the touch. Yuuri’s hand came to curl around his hip to hold him down, and Victor panted, as Yuuri’s mouth sucked and licked and played with his chest. It felt so good, and Victor could barely breathe between all the moans that fell from his lips as Yuuri made a marked up mess out of him. 

Yuuri hummed as he pulled off, and his dark eyes met Victor's as he started kissing down his stomach. Victor whined, and bucked his hips up, stopped only by Yuuri’s hand holding him down. 

“Yuuri, Yuuri I-,” Victor panted and Yuuri hummed again, licking just over the hem of Victor's pants, making him whine. “Please.”

“Anything for you,” Yuuri said, and then pushed up to kneel between Victor’s spread legs. He worked Victor’s fly open first, and then he caressed up Victor’s hard length through his underwear, making Victor let out a long moan. “God you’re perfect.”

“Yuuri mmmh,” Victor whined, and Yuuri reached up to hook his fingers into Victor’s pants and underwear, and slowly peeled them off. Victor lifted his hips, and then his legs so that Yuuri could take them fully off, before he let his legs fall down again, framing Yuuri in. Yuuri looked at him, and Victor felt so sexy like this, with Yuuri’s hungry eyes on him, his want evident in his gaze. 

“You’re gorgeous,” Yuuri said, as he caressed up Victor’s legs. Victor whined and parted them further, giving Yuuri even more room. Yuuri smirked, and then leaned down to kiss his way from Victor’s right knee all the way up to his groin. Victor was trembling, desperate for Yuuri to touch his length. 

“I want you so much,” Victor panted, and Yuuri hummed as he rose again, grabbing the lube. 

“I’ll make you feel so good, okay?” Yuuri said, and Victor nodded as he watched Yuuri squirt lube onto his fingers. Yuuri lowered himself again then, and slung Victor’s legs over his shoulders as he nuzzled Victor’s groin, not touching his erection.

“You’re such a tease,” Victor panted, and Yuuri nipped at his skin, making Victor yelp. “Such a terrible aaaaah-.” 

Victor was cut off by Yuuri wrapping his hand around his cock, and licking a stripe from root to tip. Victor trembled, and Yuuri did it again, and again, before he moved on to lick over the head of Victor’s length. He dipped his tongue into the slit, and licked kittenish licks over the head, his gaze dark as it met Victor’s. Fuck he was far too sexy to be fair. 

“Haa, haa,” Victor moaned, and Yuuri hummed and licked his lips. 

“You taste so good,” he said, and Victor whimpered, barely having the time to breathe, before Yuuri wrapped his lips around the head of his cock, and sucked. 

“Aaaah,” Victor moaned, and Yuuri sunk down slowly, before rising again. Victor let his hand tangle in Yuuri’s hand, the other fisting the sheets of the bed, just to have something to hold onto. “Ha, haaa.”

Yuuri bobbed his head up and down, making pleasure shoot through Victor’s body. It felt so good, so incredibly good. Yuuri’s other hand started caressing over his cleft, lubed up and slick, and then he pushed into Victor’s hole, making Victor gasp again. 

Yuuri took his time, giving Victor pleasure with his mouth as he opened him up. It was heavenly, and Victor let himself go and simply feel as Yuuri took such good care of him. It was so good, and Victor was a panting, trembling mess by the time Yuuri pulled his mouth from his cock, his fingers still working in and out of his hole. 

Victor’s legs fell to the side, and Yuuri rose slightly, still keeping him pleasured by moving his fingers over Victor’s prostate. Victor clenched around them, and now it was Yuuri who moaned, his own hand coming to caress over his still clothed erection. 

“Yuuri, please, please I want aaah-” Victor moaned, and Yuuri nodded, before he leaned down to press a kiss to Victor’s lips. Victor whimpered, tasting himself on Yuuri’s tongue, and it made for a good distraction as Yuuri pulled his fingers out from his hole. Yuuri pulled back fully next, and pushed off from the bed to strip out of his pants. Victor watched with hungry eyes, and bit into his lower lip as he shuffled on the bed. Yuuri was hard and flushed, and precome was already pearling at the tip. 

“I want to be inside you so bad,” Yuuri said as he took himself in hand, stroking up as he kneeled back on the bed. Victor nodded, his heart beating rapidly in his chest as he reached for the package of condoms. He opened it, and pulled one out to hand to Yuuri, who kissed him again as he took it. 

Victor smiled, and Yuuri did too as he pulled back, getting into position between Victor's thighs. Victor watched hungrily as Yuuri rolled it on, and then Yuuri reached for the lube to slick himself up, before tossing it away. Their gazes caught, and Yuuri reached for his hand. Victor laced their fingers together, and Yuuri moved closer.

“You ready?” he asked, and Victor nodded, squeezing Yuuri’s hand. He was more than ready, he needed to feel Yuuri take him apart. He felt the head of Yuuri’s cock caress over his hole, and then he pressed firmer against it, before he slowly sunk in. 

“Aaah,” Victor moaned, and Yuuri’s other hand came to grip his hip tightly as he continued to push into Victor’s heat, holding him in place.

“Oh mmmh,” Yuuri moaned, his blush staining his cheeks and spilling all the way down his chest. He was so gorgeous. “You feel so good.”

“Yes, yes,” Victor agreed, his mind spinning from pleasure as Yuuri became fully seated inside him. Yuuri pulled back just a little, and then pushed in again. Both of them moaned, and Victor reached for him, a violent need to kiss him surging through his veins. Yuuri followed, and soon their lips locked together, the kiss messy and open mouthed, as Yuuri slowly started to move.

“Oh, oh aaaah,” Victor moaned, as Yuuri moved his cock in and out of him, hitting all the right places. Yuuri clung to him, and kissed his cheeks, his chin and his jaw, as his pace sped up. It was so good, Yuuri felt so perfect inside him, stretching him so wide. Victor felt claimed, and it was the most wonderful heavy feeling. 

“Victor, baby aaaah,” Yuuri moaned, and Victor started clenching around him, making Yuuri’s hips jerk even faster. Yuuri tipped his head down to Victor’s chest, and then he gripped his hips tightly as he started fucking into Victor almost frantically. He left scattered kisses and suck marks along the hollow of Victor’s throat, and then made his way back to Victor’s lips, licking into his mouth as his hips snapped into Victor over and over. 

“Yuuri Yuuri aaah-,” Victor moaned, and then Yuuri reached down between them and wrapped his hand around Victor's cock. “Aaaah!”

“Come for me, Victor, go on,” Yuuri breathed, and Victor whimpered letting his body fully go as Yuuri continued to give him pleasure. It was so good, so good and he felt like a piano string pulled taught, stitching and stretching and soon- 

“Ahhhh,” he moaned, and then he fell over the edge, the string snapping as he convulsed, his cock spurting come over both of them as he clenched around Yuuri’s cock. Yuuri fucked him through it, faster and faster and then he paused before he trembled, and came too. Victor watched as he did, his face overcome with the pleasure of it all, and Victor had to pull him down to kiss him again, deep and possessive, as his heart raced in his chest. 

“I love you,” he breathed, pressing the words into Yuuri’s lips.

“I love you too,” Yuuri said, and kissed him again. Victor let out a sigh, and smiled as he pressed his face into Yuuri’s neck, feeling fully at peace. His chest was so full, and he looked out the window as the snow slowly falling to the ground. It must be well over midnight now, and Victor looked from the window to Yuuri who was looking at him, soft and so tender as his hands caressed over Victor’s bare back.

“What time is it?” Victor asked, and Yuuri frowned as he shook his head. “It’s my birthday on the twenty fifth.”

Yuuri’s eyes lit up, and he pushed forward, claiming Victor’s lips. Victor yelped, and then laughed as Yuuri started peppering kisses all over Victor’s face.

“I didn’t know. I didn’t get you anything,” Yuuri said, even as Victor giggled. He pushed up, and Victor looked up at him as his heart raced. “Happy birthday, Victor.”

“This is the best birthday,” Victor said, and meant it more than he ever had. “You’re the best birthday gift.”

“Victor,” Yuuri said, so heartbreakingly tender that Victor had to pull him down for another kiss. 


	26. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi lovelies, here's just a tiny thing for this verse to end the year.   
> Thank you to everyone who has given this story so much love, and who has read, kudosed and commented on my fics this year. I'm so incredibly grateful. 
> 
> I hope next year will be better for all of us, and that even though this year has been so rough - that you have found something or someone (or several) to hold onto and that brings you joy and security.
> 
> All my love  
> Lini

The roar of the crowd was almost deafening, and Yuuri let out a long breath to release the tension and the joy that had been building in his chest all through the performance. He squeezed the hand in his tight, and then glanced over to the side, seeing Victor smiling widely. The curtain had yet to rise again, and they needed to hurry to get to their feet, but at this moment, it was far too hard to pull away. 

“You were magnificent,” he said, and Victor laughed, and pushed forward to kiss him, short and sweet and happy. 

“Yuuri-”

“Get up!” Madam Baranovskaya called sharply, and Yuuri scrambled, Victor laughing as they both managed to get on their feet just as the curtain started to rise again. They both corrected their posture, and Yuuri led Victor to the edge of the stage so they could take their bows. The crowd continued to applaud, and Yuuri could hear wolf whistles and hoots from further in the back, and had to stifle his laughter. Really, Phichit and the others knew better, and Yuuri and Victor would surely hear about this at the start of the next performance day. It wouldn’t be tomorrow however, so tonight they would celebrate. 

Yuuri let out a deep breath, and then led Victor back. They were joined by the other dancers, and then they moved toward again to take the crowd's love. It was still mindblowing to Yuuri, that he was here, that he had gotten this opportunity when he was sure he had lost if forever, and that he got to spend it with someone he loved. 

He looked over to the side, unable to stop himself. Victor was like a magnet, always pulling Yuuri’s attention towards him. How could he not look at him constantly, when he was so breathtakingly beautiful, light and warm, and stubborn and childish and everything  _ everything _ . 

They backed again, and then they had to let go of each other for others to come forward for their group bows. The stage workers handed them bouquets that had been left for them, and Yuuri smiled at Victor as they received matching ones from their friends. They had been so lucky to have so many that they loved to come to see the show, and Yuuri felt incredibly fortunate to have been able to show his parents and sister that he had come back, and for then Victor's father and brother to have come as well. Minako and Lilia had done a great job coming together and creating this show, and Yuuri felt his insides turn to mush when he thought about how he was able to have all of this. To dance for Minako, as Victor danced for Lilia, and they got to dance together. They got to show their families the love they had for this art form, and tonight they got to show it for their friends. Next weekend, the person who had helped Yuuri turn around and come back for Victor would be visiting too, and Yuuri was endlessly excited for it. 

They were called to thank the crowd again, and while they couldn’t hold onto each other with all the flowers in their arms, Yuuri still turned to Victor and smiled, finding his fiancé smiling back. 

“I’m so proud of you,” he said, and Victor let out one of those breaths he did when he was overwhelmed. His eyes turned wet, and Yuuri wished he could kiss him.

“I’m so proud of us,” Victor said, and now Yuuri had to fight happy tears, as they stepped back again. It was lucky. He didn’t want to start crying on stage, and soon they were pulled into the wings instead, as the light in the theater came up. Yuuri moved through the crowds of people, the spirits high after a good performance. He stopped here and there to say something, but headed for the main dressing room quickly, where he found Victor already removing his hair decorations. 

“Give me those,” Victor said, and Yuuri reached the flowers over, so Victor could put them in the bucket of water on Victor's side of the dressing room. “They were going to wait in the lobby, right?”

“Yeah I told them we’d find them there,” Yuuri said, and then stepped up to start unbuttoning Victor’s costume. “That was a great performance.”   
“It was,” Victor agreed, and Yuuri met his eyes in the mirror, both of them smiling. Yuuri placed a kiss to Victor’s shoulder that had just become bare, and Victor bit into his lower lip as a blush rose on his cheeks. “The flow in the second duett was so smooth, it works even better now.”

“Yeah I think so too,” Yuuri agreed, managing to get the final button open. He pushed the garment down Victor’s hips, and fought the impulse to continue to kiss his way down all the exposed skin. “Step out.”

He pushed Victor’s costume down fully, and Victor stepped out of it as told, before Yuuri hung it on the right hanger and placed it at the correct spot. He moved to his own jacket next, and made quick work of the buttons, before shrugging out of it. Victor was still plucking things from his hair, and Yuuri smiled, leaning over to press a kiss to his cheek, before he hung the jacket on the hanger. 

“I’m really excited about tonight,” Victor said, and Yuuri nodded, shrugging out of the top of his costume. 

“I am too,” he said. “We haven’t seen them for so long.”

“Do you miss it?” Victor asked, as he stepped out of his dancers’ belt and pulled on underwear, and then pants. Yuuri nodded, and Victor smiled softly. “I do too.”

“I do, I miss them, but I still have them in my life,” Yuuri answered. “There’s a lot I don’t miss too, and I do enjoy this much more, being with you every day and all.”

“Charmer,” Victor said as he shook his head and shrugged on a crop top, pulling his hair up into a ponytail. Yuuri grinned, and pulled a shirt on before pulling the dance tights and dancers belt off, replacing them with underwear and jeans. “Ready?”

“Yeah,” Yuuri agreed, and reached for his jacket, checking so that he had everything. “That was the fastest we've ever gotten changed.” 

“But not the fastest we’ve gotten undressed,” Victor pointed out, and Yuuri groaned, as they walked into the corridor that was still buzzing with activity. Victor giggled, and they stepped through into the wings, Victor’s hand finding his to lace their fingers together. 

“I’m sorry I ripped your favourite jeans okay? They were in my way!” Yuuri said, and Victor laughed in earnest then, before they jumped down from the stage into the stands. They walked briskly up the rows, and then pushed the doors open, Yuuri having to squint to get used to the sharp light.

“There they are!” A familiar voice called, and Yuuri didn’t manage to fully get his vision back before he was barreled into, his hand slipping from Victor's as the familiar form of Phichit hug-tackled him. “You did so great!” he cheered, and Yuuri laughed and hugged him back, before pulling back with a smile. 

There was a jumble of hugs then, and cheers, and it was all a bit overwhelming as the nine dancers, and Chris, tried to talk over each other to give their perspective on the show. Victor tucked himself close to Yuuri’s side, and Yuuri held him, as they walked down from the theater into the night life. 

The club was known to them, and the hostess greeted them with a warm smile as she let them in. A table had been reserved for them, and even if they all headed there straight after the bar to dispose of their drinks and things, most already had their eyes set on somewhere else. 

“Dance floor,” Victor whispered into his ear, and Yuuri shivered, before he looked into his blue eyes. He always got lost in them, and he still couldn’t believe that he had been so fortunate to have this wonderful person agree to spend his life with him.

“Yes,” Yuuri agreed, and while Guang Hong and Leo agreed to watch the drinks for the first song, the rest of them headed to the dance floor. Victor stepped away from him as they reached it, and turned to look at him. He took two long slow steps back, his hips swaying as his finger came up to call Yuuri to him. Yuuri was with him in a heartbeat, his leg sliding between Victor’s as they bent their knees. Their hips pressed flush against each other, and Yuuri wrapped his hands around Victor’s waist. Victor smirked, and then dipped so low back that he almost bent in half. Yuuri groaned, and snapped him up, claiming his lips in a heated kiss. 

“Baby,” Yuuri breathed, and Victor smiled against his lips, and then started grinding their hips together. 

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading, please let me know what you think in the comment section or on other platforms like:  
> [Tumblr](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/linisen) and [Twitter](https://twitter.com/mjaoue)


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